Arthur's Secret
by ScruffydaDruid
Summary: Arthur has a secret that he's kept hidden from everyone, even Merlin, and especially his father. What happens when that secret is comes to light? Set before 4x03 and after 3x13. Magic!Reveal NO SLASH. AU. First fic, so please no flames.
1. It Began with a Hunting Trip

**This is my first time using this website and also my first fanfic, so if anyone has any pointers or problems, please tell me. Constructive Criticism is welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

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It all started with a hunting trip.

It was a glorious day. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze keeping everyone cool. The atmosphere was a happy one, good weather was always a sign of a good day to come.

Merlin woke Arthur up with his usual, all-too-cheery chorus of 'rise and shine! It's time to get up, you lazy daisy!' After throwing a pillow at his head, Arthur got out of bed and dressed. Arthur announced over breakfast that today they were taking advantage of the good weather, and going hunting. Merlin scurried off to help collect some herbs for Gaius and prepare for the hunting trip.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled down the corridor to his manservant as he walked to the stables. "I do want to leave before midnight you know! What's taking so long?"

"I was up until past midnight mucking out your stables, polishing your armour _and_ fixing your boots. That's what's taking so long." Merlin muttered under his breath as he walked towards the stables to saddle up his and Arthur's horses. None of the knights were coming, as they were all either on patrol or in training.

Arriving at the stables, Arthur saw his horse saddled and ready to go. Merlin was just finishing getting ready to leave, when he saw Arthur.

"Why do we always have to go hunting when it's such a nice day? Couldn't we go…I don't know…butterfly catching instead?" Merlin suggested, all limbs as he jumped onto his horse.

"Butterfly. Catching? Honestly, Merlin, _could_ you be any more of a girl?" Taunted Arthur, mounting his horse with much more grace and starting to trot towards the gate, Merlin in tow.

"I just don't see the point of killing harmless animals. If there is a point, _sire_ , please enlighten me."

They had just past the gate and were starting to get into the forest. The trees were blowing in the breeze and the birds were singing. The forest was a multitude of colours, greens and browns mixing together to create a feeling of serenity. This was one of the parts that Arthur liked most about hunting. The feeling of peace. It did almost make taking the animals away from this environment seem cruel, but it's not like he was going to let Merlin know that.

"You do know that our hunting trips provide the meat that we eat everyday? Apart from that, hunting is a perfect way to get out of the castle and being Prince Arthur. Get away from the stress and responsibilities of everyday life, and just enjoy a little break."

That shut Merlin up. He wasn't used to Arthur being so emotional. Any talk of any emotions and he put his 'Prince Arthur Face' on, as Merlin liked to call it. He never knew just how much the break meant to Arthur, though it was easy to understand. Arthur never really had a day off, it was always Prince Arthur this and Prince Arthur that. Arthur needed a break, Merlin realised, and hunting was the best way to do it. So Merlin shut up and focused on the scenery.

"What's wrong Merlin? What happened to your incessant talking?"

"I was…thinking."

"Well, there's the problem right there."

Merlin couldn't resist. "Not as much a problem as when you do it."

"Merlin."

"Yes sire?"

"Shut up."

Merlin smiled at the banter, but stopped when he heard the war cry that could only mean one thing. Bandits.

"We just can't catch a break, can we?" They said, synchronised.

There were only five of them, so it didn't take long for Arthur to finish them off. As per usual, Merlin hid behind a tree and dropped branches, threw spears and burned swords that were getting too close for comfort. The last one realized he was fighting a lost battle and fled, leaving Arthur to find Merlin, who was still behind the tree.

"Merlin, honestly, you're such a girl. Does the damsel in distress need help getting out from behind the tree?" He taunted, not seeing the archer hiding in the bushes, until it was too late.

The arrow flew fast through the air, and time seemed to slow down as it made its speedy approach to Arthur's chest. Arthur turned at the noise, raised his hand and watched as a blue shield of energy appeared in front of him and knocked the arrow away.

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 **AN: Thanks for reading all the way to the end. Should I continue this, or should I just leave it?  
See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid**


	2. Explanations

**OMG, guys. I never thought that anyone would actually read this, much less review or favorite it. Thank you so much to all who reviewed, I know that everyone says this, but I came home from an exam, looked and my computer, and screamed so loud. (I may or may not have spent ten minutes yelling: "People liked it! They actually liked it! Oh my gosh, this is awesome!"). Thanks to Sassylou, AMJJ, Lya200, NightsAnger and Signal27 for reviewing. Here's the next chapter, as promised.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

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 _Arthur turned at the noise, raised his hand and watched as a blue shield of energy appeared in front of him and knocked the arrow away._

Arthur ran to the bushes where the archer was hidden and quickly took him out. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to face his opponent. The sword was lowered when he realised it was just Merlin coming out of his hiding place.

"Um, so…" Arthur didn't know what to say. His biggest secret had just been revealed. The one he kept secret from his father and the whole of Camelot. His magic was the reason he won all his battles, tournaments and melees, the reason he was so good on a horse. He didn't know what to do. He could say that someone else had cast the shield, but not even _Merlin_ would be stupid enough to believe that. What sorcerer would help the Prince of _Camelot_? He couldn't tell the truth though, it would destroy the, quite frankly, treasured friendship he and his manservant shared. But he had to tell him. But he couldn't. But he had to. But…

"You have magic." Merlin didn't know what to think. _Arthur_ has _magic_? It sort of made sense, that the thing he was born of was flowing through his veins. But it's _Arthur Pendragon_! Has he really been hiding the same secret as Merlin all this time? Was he seeing things? He _knew_ he hadn't conjured that shield, so then who did? What other sorcerer could be helping the Prince of Camelot, other than Emrys? He was so confused.

Arthur wanted to deny it. He wanted to scoff and say that Hunith had dropped Merlin on the head as a baby, that he'd had one drink too many at the tavern, and be able to go back to their simple friendship of friendly banter and saving each others lives. But he needed to tell the truth, for once. So he did.

"Yes. I do." Well, at least his voice didn't shake.

"What? You're the Prince of Camelot. You are aware that your father would kill you if he knew?"

"I didn't choose magic. It chose me. I've had it since I was eight. Of course I know that my father would kill me for it. I had to hide it, my whole life, and you'll never know how that feels. When I lead the attacks on druid camps, I always put my men on the druids I knew could fight the knights off, and lead the knights away from those who couldn't. That's why I tried so hard to help that druid boy, all those years ago. Whenever there was an execution, behind closed doors, I would try and reason with my father, though try would be the operative word. Don't be scared, because I'd never use it to hurt people, only ever in self-defence. Merlin, can you forgive me for lying to you all this time? Please?"

The please is what stopped Merlin short, and made him realise what this meant to Arthur. Never, not once, the whole time Merlin had known him, had Arthur ever, once, said please, without being either taunted or pushed into it. So this meant lots to Arthur, most likely as much as it meant to merlin that Arthur accept him. He'd have to tell Arthur, and soon, considering that today seemed like as good a day as any to tell all their secrets.

"Aww. Never knew you cared."

"You're not mad at me for keeping it secret?" Arthur was shocked. Hadn't he just said that he was basically as big a threat to Camelot as all the beasts they'd ever faced were? Or was Merlin just a complete and total idiot?

"No. You didn't choose it. Besides, you haven't done anything bad with you magic. You've only used it to help others. It's not your fault you're a warlock."

"Well, thanks. But wait." Arthur was confused. "How do _you_ know what a warlock is?"

"Well…"

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 **AN: *Ducks flying pillow* Sorry! I just couldn't resist leaving it on a cliffhanger. It won't happen again. Probably. Anyway, I'm going to be on camp this weekend, but don't worry, I have a game plan. Next chapter will hopefully be up on the 6th of June, and Merlin will _definitely_ reveal his magic next chapter, I can assure you of that much. Hope you enjoyed, and please review, it gives me motivation that _someone_ out there, is actually reading and paying attention. So thanks again.  
See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid**


	3. Merlin's Secrets

**I know this is early, but I just finished it and I think that you'll want to read it. It took me three and a half hours to write and is 1,387 words, not including the AN so hopefully it's pretty good. Thanks to Lya200, NightsAnger, Juliana Brandagamba and Chatterbox818 for reviewing the last chapter and nightstar871 for reviewing the first chapter, along with everyone who's followed and favourited. You guys are the best.  
** **I hope you guys enjoy, I'm running on four hours of sleep from camp, so I'm going to bed.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

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 _"How do_ you _know what a warlock is?"_

 _"Well…"_

Merlin knows that he has to tell his secret now. Arthur is probably at his most accepting, and if not, Merlin can just say that Arthur lied for just as long and just as much, as he did. So, looking straight at Arthur's face, he said:

"Arthur, I know what a warlock is, because…I am one."

"What? No, you don't have magic. You're just my idiotic manservant who trips over his own two feet. You don't have magic, I would know."

Arthur was shocked and in denial. Nope, no how, no way, not happening, _Mer_ lin does _not_ have magic. It was impossible. The boy was too stupid to know any magic. There was a small voice in the back of his head, telling him that what Merlin said was the truth. But when had he ever listened to the small voice in the back of his head?

"Arthur. I'm just like you. I didn't choose magic either. It chose me, and I've had it since birth. Mother had a hard time stopping all the floating pots and pans when I was a toddler."

Arthur was shocked. You can't have magic from birth. It's impossible. No, Merlin was lying. There was no way that Merlin of all people to have magic, especially magic from birth. No, no, this isn't true…

"I know what it feels like to have to hide what you are from everyone because of the death sentence on your head. To have to hide from everyone, everyday because if you don't, you'll be killed or banished. I know how that feels. When I entered Camelot, the first thing I saw was a man being murdered for having magic. The reality of where I was didn't hit me until that point. I was in _Camelot_. The place where all sorcerers are hunted and slaughtered like animals.

'Then why would he come to Camelot?' Thought Arthur. 'I'm the prince, I have to be in Camelot, but Merlin is just a farm boy from Ealdor. He has no reason to come, and no sorcerer in their right mind would ever come to Camelot. Of course, this is assuming that he's telling the truth, which he isn't, but everything he's saying seems genuine. But he doesn't, _can't_ have magic.

"Then I saved your life using magic, from the grieving mother of the same man. Although, why you weren't awake during that spell, I don't know. I guess that since she was putting everyone to sleep so that she could target you, you must have had an especially strong portion if the spell put on you, making you unable to resist falling asleep, regardless of your magic. Yeah, that makes sense."

'A person can't just _know_ so much about magic. Merlin must have magic. That or he's picked up a few things from Gaius. No, you can't just learn these sorts of things.' Arthur's brain was in overdrive.

"I've saved your life using magic more times than I can count. So, can you forgive me for lying to you?"

Arthur's silent for so long, Merlin's not sure if he's going to respond.

"…Arthur?"

"You lied to me."

"Arthur, I…"

"You lied to me because you had to. You thought I would have killed you. Do you know what this means though? We've both been hiding the same secret this whole time. I lied just as much as you did.

"So does this mean…?"

"Of course I forgive you! Like I said, I lied just as much as you. But now that we both know, and we can keep each other safe. Just like in all our quests and battles, but no more hiding, and no more secrets."

They both contemplate that in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. It's what they wanted, to have someone who knew everything and who understood. Arthur never had anyone. All his 'friends' had ulterior motives. Whether they were trying to get close to his father or they wanted to assassinate him, they always had another reason why they were there. Merlin wasn't like that. He was _Arthur's_ friend. Not Prince Arthur, _Arthur_. It was fitting that his first true friend was the one that understood everything. Someone who's always there, for every battle, every failure, every success. Merlin has Will and Gaius. They both knew but didn't understand, and Will's dead. Now they had each other, and they were happy with that.

Arthur thinks for a while.  
How does Merlin, the untrained servant, always come out of battles unscathed, while fully trained knights either died or were injured at some point. Sure, he has magic, but there has to be more than that. _I_ have magic and still get hurt. We're the only two to return from fighting a _dragon_ , for goodness sake. Speaking (well, thinking) of which…  
"What happened with the Great Dragon? You said that I killed it, but I don't remember doing that. You were the only one who saw me killing it, so what happened?"

"I told him to leave."

"What?!"  
How does that work? Merlin can't just tell a _dragon_ to leave! It would have either laughed, or burnt him to a crisp!

"I told him that I'd kill him, unless he left and never returned."

"And it listened?"

"He had to."

"It had to… enough riddles! Just tell me what happened!"

For seemingly no reason, Merlin chuckled when Arthur told him to quit it with the riddles. Merlin was talking like a certain dragon he knew…

"What's so funny Merlin? I thought we said no more secrets. So, what. Happened. With The. Dragon?"

"Like I said, I ordered him away and he left. He had to."

"Why did it have to leave?"

"Because my father was Balinor. When he died, I became a Dragonlord."

Arthur was gobsmacked. His best friend (no, he was not ashamed to admit that) is a _Dragonlord_. Merlin met his father, knew him for one day, only then to watch as he _died in his arms_. Then, being given no time to grieve, he has to get up, face a _dragon_ and let Arthur take the credit. Not only that, then Arthur goes and tells him 'no man is worth your tears' when he was crying for his _father_! When did Arthur become such a horrible friend. The logical voice in his head was telling him that he didn't know, so it wasn't his fault, but _still_!

"You're a Dragonlord." Arthur said weakly, still trying to process this.

"Yes." Merlin said proudly.

"And your father was Balinor." Arthur said, still processing this.

"Yes." Merlin nodded.

"And he died in your arms, after having met him the day before."

"Yes" Merlin said, sadly.

"And I told you, not a day later, no man was worth your tears." Guilt tearing at his insides with every word.

Merlin, understood where this was going and set out to rectify it.

"You didn't know. You were only trying to help. Before you ask, you did help. When you told me that, I realised that I needed to stop moping around and focus on getting rid of the dragon. I did grieve, just later when no one was around."

Arthur thinks about the unfairness of this. He'd been given a whole night to grieve his father. Merlin had been given not even five minutes. Then he thinks of something.  
"You said the dragon had to leave and never come back, on pain of death, so is it still alive?"

"Yep" Said Merlin, popping the 'p'.

"Why did you let it live?"

"I couldn't be the cause of the end of their species. Besides, we're kin. It would be like killing you or Gwen. I couldn't do that. If you want, I can introduce you at some point."

"Um, I think I'm good for now." Arthur didn't want to admit it, but the thought of a giant dragon towering above him, able to kill him in one breath, did make his knees shake. Of course, Merlin knew exactly this, and used it to his advantage.

"You sure you're not just scared?" Merlin taunted.

"Merlin." Arthur warned.

"Shut up?"

"Good to see you're learning."

Laughing, they rode back to Camelot, as best friends, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be hunting.

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 **AN: So there you go. Merlin has revealed his magic and his Dragonlord abilities. Was it what you hoped for? I hope so. I hope you enjoyed. Next chapter will be written asap and hopefully up on June 9. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. See you in another life. ScruffydaDruid.**


	4. What Kolby saw

**I'm so sorry that this took so long! We had exams, then I had both grandmother's birthdays, one after another, then I had _my_ birthday, then my friends birthday and then we got so much homework for school, I'm so, so sorry that this took forever to put up. It's 1,798 words long, as a thank you for putting up with the break. Some people were asking what timeline this is set in, well, it's after Morgana showed her true colours, (after 3x13), but Uther's alive, (so before 4x03). It's also in the story description if you missed it. Thanks to NightsAnger, Juliana Brandagamba, Lya200, JCR and BookyBookworm for reviewing the last chapter. On with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

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While the laughing was still echoing through the forest, a dark-haired figure was running as fast as his legs would carry him, back to Camelot. Kolby's head was reeling. He thought back to what he had just seen.

 _Kolby was walking through the forest. On his arm was a basket and he was walking down the less travelled path in favour of finding more berries. He was thinking about how much his youngest sister loved eating blackberries, when he saw the bandits._

 _They were sitting around a campfire, sharpening their swords, and hollering about their latest plan to capture more travellers in the forest. They were dressed in brown, holey clothing, that couldn't decide if it was brown by colour or by years of dirt and sweat collecting into one piece of fabric. Kolby was beginning to get nervous, what of the saw him? Should he run, or should he stay hidden until they leave. Kolby had just decided to get comfortable, when, all of the bandits turned their heads as one, like a pack of dogs catching the scent of a wounded animal and ran off through the woods, in the opposite direction of where Kolby was hiding._

 _Kolby knew the area well, and knew that the bandits were going in the direction of the path that Camelot's patrols often took. Kolby could make a good guess that the bandits were tracking so Knights of Camelot, but the question was, what was he going to do about it? He could run home as fast as he could and stay there until the bandits moved on, or he could go and watch. As a boy with a grand sense of adventure, there was really no choice. Kolby started chasing the bandits._

 _So there he was, running through the trees after the bandits. He passed by them after a few minutes, (he was a very fast boy), and hid under a bush. In horror he realised the bandits were tracking the Prince and his servant. He listened as they bantered and realised that, surprisingly (though not surprisingly, considering all they'd been through, what with Morgana lately), they shared a friendship. He winced as he heard the war cy that meant the bandits had caught up._

 _He heard them say, as though they were one person instead of two; "We just can't catch a break, can we?" and smiled because he knew they had dealt with bandits before and would be ok._

 _He winced as the Prince killed four out of the five bandits, (who had become surprisingly clumsy over the course of the fight), before the last one ran, and almost laughed out loud as the Prince called his manservant a Damsel in Distress…only to be rendered speechless as a blue shield blocked the arrow flying towards the prince._

 _He couldn't believe what he just saw. The Prince of Camelot can't have magic! His father started the Great Purge, that killed so many people, including his own father, who had been wrongfully charged with magic. It was impossible! Some other magic person was here, yeah, that's it, and they made that shield. Although, what sorcerer would help a Pendragon with magic?! Surely they had some sense of self-preservation._

 _Kolby was certain that he hadn't seen what he thought he saw, when the prince's manservant, (what's his name? Marvin? Merlin? Yeah, Merlin) coming out from behind a bush and stating:_  
 _"You have magic."_

 _Kolby's blood ran cold when he heard the Prince's reply. "Yes. I do."_

 _Kolby turned around and ran as fast as he could without being heard by the pair. He ran, and ran, and ran until he'd past the clearing where he'd spotted the bandits, when everything made sense in the world, and kept on running. He was going to Camelot._

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Kolby was out of breath by the time he could see the top of the citadel peeking through the trees. The guards were understandably shocked when Kolby ran past them, but he was gone before they could react. He was stopped at the Throne Room doors by a guard, who asked what his business was with the King. Kolby asked for an audience with the King, saying he knew the location of a magic user. Uther saw him immediately and it was then that he had doubts.

Not about what he saw, but more about how Uther would react. He didn't want to be put in the dungeons or even executed for accusing the prince of having magic. But he was already inside, so he had to continue.

"What brings you here, peasant?"

Kolby was a bit put off by the harsh reminder of his social status, but continued anyway.  
"I know the location and name of a sorcerer, sire"

"Who is it?"

How would Uther react? Kolby could be hanged, or whipped, or Uther could believe him and send him on his way with a few coins. The latter seems pretty near impossible, the former is the most likely. But it's too late to back down now, so here goes nothing (well, everything, but that's not the point).  
"Your son, sire. The Prince of Camelot."

"How dare you make these accusations! Arthur is my _son_ , and he would _never_ betray me or Camelot! This is treason, I will have you hanged for this!"  
So the former it is then.

Gaius steps forward and approaches Kolby. He thought knew this kid from somewhere. "How old are you, my boy?"

"Twelve winters, sir."

That's it! This is Kolby from the Lower Town. His father wrongfully charged as a sorcerer and his youngest sister has been sick with the flu for two weeks now. Addressing Uther. "My Lord, he is just a boy. I don't believe he understands what he's saying. Perhaps we should humour the boy and then send him back to his family."

"No! He has committed treason and he will be punished as the laws see fit!"

"Sire, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but don't blame the boy for what Morgana did, and certainly don't treat your people like she has. By punishing an twelve-year old for having an overactive imagination, you show that you are no different from Morgana, that you have no mercy or compassion for innocents."

Uther had a range of emotions on his face. Anger and sadness for Morgana's treachery, pleasure that he could finally punish someone to relieve his guilt and annoyance that Gaius is on the boy's side. But Uther knew that he couldn't let the council think he was like Morgana, so he allows the 'peasant boy' to tell his story.  
"Very well. Tell the story you came here to give, boy."

Kolby was shocked. He couldn't believe that the King had decided to listen to him. He was very quick in telling the story, should he be stopped before he finished and stumbled a bit on his words.  
"W-well um, I was in the forest and I was picking berries for my youngest sister, be-because she's been sick for a few weeks now ad she likes blackberries. I-I was going down the path to the clearing i-in the middle o-of the woods, because there are less-picked bushes around there. Bu-but when I got there, there were bandits sire. T-there was six of them and then they turned around and went off into the forest. I followed them sire, because I know that area of the forest well, and so I got ahead of them. Th-then I saw the Prince and his servant and then the bandits attacked. Then the Prince killed four of them and then the fifth one ran off. The Prince th-thought it was over, but then the sixth one, who was hiding in a bush, shot an arrow at him. The Prince t-turned around and raised his hand and a blue shield appeared out in front of him and the shield blocked the arrow. Then the Prince ran up to the bush and killed the bandit who was too shocked to do anything. Then the servant asked if the Prince had magic and the Prince said y-yes and then I ran away and came here."

Uther was about to dismiss the boy, when he realised that if Morgana, the kindest person he knew, has magic, was it such a stretch that Arthur has it too, especially considering the circumstances of his birth? With this logic. Arthur certainly could, but does that mean he does? Uther remembered when Arthur went to help his servant's village, what was it called? Aladar? Elander? Ealdor? Yeah, Ealdor, there was a sorcerer there. _Apparently_ , he saved the village, but most likely only so that he could destroy the whole village and take credit for it later. The sorcerer was Arthur's servant's friend, so the servant knew about his despicable magic. So the servant could be killed for not bringing his 'friend' to justice. The sole reason the servant hadn't been killed, was that he somehow means so much to Arthur, that it would destroy him if the boy was killed. So the sorcerer could have taught the servant, and then the servant could have taught his master, but Arthur would have just killed the servant for mentioning magic around him. No, Arthur does _not_ have magic.

But… it would explain all those times that Arthur went into tournaments and on impossible quests and was the only one who came back alive (well, except for Leon, but he's _Leon_ ). He faced a _dragon_ for heavens sake! He should have been killed along with the hundreds of other faceless peasants and knights. It's almost impossible to kill the dragon without a DragonLord. To be clear, Uther is _very_ happy that Arthur succeeded, but it just shouldn't have been possible. Magic must have been used. It's not that unlikely that Arthur has magic, when you think about it. He has survived twenty odd years of assassins and impossible odds. Arthur _could_ have magic. _Should_ have magic. Logically _would_ have magic. And, according to this boy, _does_ have magic. Arthur _must_ have magic.

The council members watch as Uther's face morphs from disbelief, to anger, to shock, to denial, to anger, to more denial and finally understanding.

Addressing the knights. "You are to arrest Arthur on sight and bring him to me."

At the council members looks of protest, he says; "There will be no discussion on this matter."

To himself; "I have a son to deal with"

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 **AN: Ok, so, Uther. He's not crazy in this fic because I think that he could have some days where he doesn't necessarily forget, but doesn't really think about Morgana's betrayal and also I need him to be the tyrant he is for later chapters. So I hope you can understand that and don't bombard me with reviews about how 'Uther goes mad after Morgana betrays them'. I'm aiming to have the next one up in about three-four days, but we all know how great that went with the last chapter. But we go on school holidays in a couple of weeks so I'll be able to have more chapters out sooner. If there's any problems with the timing of the chapters, I live in Australia so I go by Australian time, so, if the chapters are out a day early or late then it's because it was put out for Australian time. Btw, there doesn't seem to be any Australian writers on this site that I can find, but I might just not be looking hard enough. For anyone who's Australian, answer me this: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...** **  
** **See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid.**


	5. How Uther Reacts

**AN: Sorry about the wait.** **In my original plan, this chapter would be out on the 18th, and then the next chapter would be out yesterday, but that clearly didn't happen. I'm currently writing chapter 6, hopefully it'll be out by the 25th, but other things might get in the way.** **This chapter is 1,388 words long, not including the AN's. Thanks to Juliana Brandagamba, pieniewienie, Skypeoplepheonix732, Guest and BabyGlover for reviewing the last chapter. On with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

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 _"I have a son to deal with"_

Arthur and Merlin were riding back to Camelot. During the journey, Merlin had slowed down enough so that he was riding just behind Arthur's right shoulder. Merlin thought it was fitting, as he had sat on Arthur's right side at the Round Table. Arthur had either not noticed, or made no comment as they rode back into Camelot. Only to be stopped by the guards.

"Sire, the King has ordered your immediate arrest." The first guard called out, as Arthur approached the gate.

"On what grounds?" Arthur was extremely confused. What was so bad that had he done that the King would order his arrest for? What would make him lose all remnants of his sense of reason and cause him to arrest his son in such a public manner? Why would…no! Someone must have seen Arthur use magic and then confess to Merlin about using said magic, _Merlin_! If someone heard his confession, then he'll be killed too! No, this can't happen! Ok, clear head. First things first. Keep Merlin _away_ from the King.

"The King didn't specify, sire. I wasn't there when the order was given. We were only told that we were to arrest you on sight."

"What of my manservant?"

"The King didn't mention him, sire." To Merlin, in a sharp tone. "Boy! Take the horses to the stables and then meet your Prince in the throne room." To Arthur, in a sugar-sweet voice. "Unless sire will have him do anything else?"

It was then that Arthur was reminded just how much he hated bootlickers, but he needed to keep Merlin out of the Throne Room.

"Yes, there are a few things he needs to do. Merlin, put the horses away, muck out my stables, tidy my room, do my laundry and then go see if Gaius has anything else you can do. Don't even consider coming to annoy me for the _rest of the day_."

Merlin knew what Arthur was trying to do. He meant to keep Merlin away, his last comment had proved that, but Merlin had a funny feeling that something bad would happen in the Throne Room and knew he needed to be by Arthur's side for it. The two friends (even if they wouldn't admit that they were) had to keep up appearances as best they could when in the company of others, so while the guard was there, Merlin had to be a model servant and do what Arthur said, even though he had every intention of being in that Throne Room with Arthur.

"Of course sire. Put the horses away, muck out your stables, tidy your room, do your laundry and see if Gaius has anything else that needs doing. Is that everything?"

"That's everything."  
Arthur hoped the idiot heard the unspoken message. _Keep away from the King at all costs_.  
Of course, Merlin did hear it. He wasn't as stupid as people believed. He just wasn't paying any attention. So when the guards took Arthur's arms and lead him into the Throne Room, Merlin followed, after all, he could just use magic to do his chores later on.

When the doors to the Throne Room were opened, Arthur saw that the entire council was present. On the inside, he was quaking with fear, but on the outside he was straight-backed and calmly being lead inside. He was pushed to his knees in front of the King, who looked at his in poorly-hidden disgust. But that wasn't what made Arthur's insides freeze. It was his eyes. In the King's eyes, Arthur could see madness. Madness that Arthur hadn't seen on the King for a few weeks. Madness that made the King cease to see reason and execute anyone for even the smallest thing. Madness that would have the King burning the cook that was late in his dinner, (which would have happened, had Gwaine, Merlin and Arthur (Strength, Magic and Courage respectively) not broken him out the night before). Madness caused by the _traitor_ Morgana.

"Arthur. You have been accused of using magic and enchantments in the kingdom of Camelot. How do you plead?"

"Innocent, my Lord. I have never used enchantments in this kingdom or any others kingdoms in Albion."* **  
**Arthur wasn't lying. The King asked if he was using magic and _enchantments_ in Camelot, _however_ , Arthur doesn't know any enchantments, or even spells for that matter. He can only do shields, powerful shields at that, but still only shields. So he never really used enchantments in Camelot. As for the accusation about magic, well, there's no need to address that if it isn't brought up directly. This was a rather pathetic loophole, but so long as no one caught him out, he was safe.

"Bring forth the witness."

The guards brought Kolby forward. As per usual with a witness, he had been taken to a room in the palace to have something to eat and drink. He was then brought to Geoffery of Monmouth to give a written allegation about what he saw. Then he went back to his room until the guards came to escort him to the King to testify about what he saw, this time with the Prince present. Throughout all of this, Kolby still couldn't remember the Prince's name, which he found quite funny actually.

"Witness." The King's sharp tone cut through Kolby's reminiscing and reminded him that he probably should be paying attention to the proceedings.

"Tell us again, what you saw." Uther was on the edge of his seat. He was trying to cut all emotions and treat this as another magical accusation, because emotions are a sign of weakness and a king should never be weak. This was just another accused sorcerer, he could just order the pyre and be done with it. No need to fret about it. Just order the execution and that's that.

Uther wasn't even considering the fact that if his son died, he would have no heir to the throne. He wasn't even thinking about the fact that Arthur was his last remaining connection with Ygraine. He wasn't considering the moral implications of executing his son. He just saw a sorcerer, another evil that needed to be wiped off the land.

Kolby quickly recounted his story. As he talked, Arthur grew more and more nervous. How much had the boy seen? Would his testimony be taken seriously or just dismissed? Arthur knew that in the days before Morgana, a servant's word, particularly a child's, would be taken as being worth much less than that of a noble's, let alone that of a royal. The issue with Valiant had been proof enough of this.

But now Arthur wasn't so sure. Morgana had really hurt the King, emotionally more than anything. He'd never been the same since. He almost seemed to take pleasure in the almost daily executions for miniscule things. So while Arthur was fearful and anxious about his and Merlin's safety, his face showed no emotions, falling back to the mask he had built up years ago to hide his true emotions.

Arthur watched his father's face betray the madness that his mind had succumbed to. He saw the madness light up his eyes and saw the resolution that his father had reached, even before the boy finished his story. Arthur could only hope that Merlin hadn't been seen too.

Dolby finished his retelling, and if he could have, Arthur would have sighed in relief. Merlin is safe. Those three words filled his being and caused the smallest of smiles to break past his mask, before it was wiped away before anyone noticed. After knowing the idiot for five years, Arthur was very protective of him, and whenever he heard those words, he was happy. Merlin is safe. Merlin is safe. Merlin is safe…

"Arthur Pendragon." Uther's words snapped Arthur back into focus. Yes, Merlin is safe, but at the moment he was not. Not if the look in his father's eyes was telling him anything. Uther Pendragon had decided his fate.  
"You have been accused and found guilty of using magic and enchantments in Camelot. I strip you of your title as my son and your inheritance to the throne. I hereby banish you from Camelot. If you're not out in 5 minutes, the guards will bring you back here to die."

* * *

*The country that I think Merlin is set in is called Albion. This is known because in The Dragons Call, Kilgharrah says; 'Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land on Albion.' So therefore they are in Albion and it needs to be united, all the kingdoms together under one ruler; Arthur Pendragon. I hope this makes sense

* * *

 **AN: OK. So there's the next chapter. Once again, so sorry that this took so long. But I have a question, and I want you to put your opinion about it in your review. Here it is. Should the Knights of the Round Table come with Arthur into banishment? The knights include Lancelot, because he hasn't died yet. What do you think? Put your thoughts in the reviews.  
** **About the chant at the end of the last chapter. Surprisingly, no one** **seemed to get that. Maybe you did, I don't know, but I do know that no one put it in their review. Please do, if you do get it. It's just a bit of fun for me and my friend. We made a bet. I said that at least three people would get it. My friend said that no one would. C'mon, I've got five dollars on this. Please guys, don't make me lose! Let's try it again. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...  
** **See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid.**


	6. Escape

**AN: Here's the new chapter, on time for once. It's 2,071 words without the AN's (personal best!) so I'm pretty happy right now. Thanks for answering the question at the end of the last chapter. In the end, the Knights coming had five votes and just Merlin and Arthur had two, so I decided to have the Knights follow, except Leon. He's too shocked to move, so he's left behind. Thanks to Guest, Ladyliz2, FallingxThroughxTime, bubzchoc, Lya200, pieniewienie, NightsAnger, Juliana Bradagamba, Guest, Triple L, NerdGirlAlert, kittycat1810 and fletty for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

 _"If you're not out in 5 minutes, the guards will bring you back here to die."_

Arthur was almost too shocked to move. Almost. So when Uther, (he technically can't call him his father anymore) nodded to an equally shocked Geoffery to start counting down, Arthur ran. The Knights of the Round Table, except Leon, who was shocked into a stand-still, quickly followed after him, and they were pursued by guards, who seemed to think that five minutes meant five seconds when it come to banishment. As he was passing through the doors, he looked back and saw Merlin stepping out of the shadows. Arthur was very annoyed that Merlin had directly disobeyed his orders, but he knew that Merlin wouldn't want him to face this alone. But still… that idiot is only going to get himself killed, trying to stop the guards and knights altogether and at once.

But then he saw something that makes him stop dead in his tracks. Merlin flashed his eyes and whispered, " _Hleap on bæc_." (Leap on your back) and watched the guards fly backwards.

Merlin pushed the Knights, who were still so stunned by everything that was happening, they stood stock still. Lancelot was the first to recover, then Gwaine and between the three of them, they managed to get Percival and Elyan following Arthur. Their training sessions paid off, and they were soon catching up with Arthur. Merlin took out a few more guards and then they were clear of the Throne Room.

Merlin stopped, stretched his arm out towards the door, and said " _Bord, wiþ stende hie_ " (door, stand against them) and they watched as the door swung shut, closing off the guards.

One quick " _Clyse_ " (close) later and they were running, everyone else still trapped in the throne room.

They were passing the Court Physicians chambers when Merlin called out.

"Wait a moment. I need to get something."

"Merlin, this is hardly time for personal belongings!" Arthur roared, thoroughly annoyed by how today was playing out. He had revealed himself to his manservant, only to find out he had the same secret. The he was arrested, accused of using magic, stripped of his title, disinherited and then banished from Camelot. So, he wasn't having a great day today.

But Merlin was already gone. He grabbed the bag that he came to Camelot with, and stuffed in an extra pair of clothes, his magic book, his Sidhe staff, the dragon carving his father made for him, his and Gaius' refilled waterskins, three loaves of bread, Gaius' physician's bag and two blankets.

He hoped Gaius wouldn't be too mad at him for stealing basically all his food, water, blankets and herbs, but he needed them. He took one last look around the rooms that had become his home, and then ran out to meet five knights who were staring at him incredulously.

"What? I thought we might need some food, water and medical supplies. We're clearly not coming back, since Arthur has been banished and we're going with him. I'd prefer to have some resources, just in case we need to stay in the forest for a week or two."

The Knights seemed to accept this, even though they found it strange that Merlin was holding a staff. But after everything that's happened today, nothing seemed strange. The saying 'expect the unexpected' flashed through their minds as they ran to the stables to saddle up their horses.

Merlin finished his first and then did Arthur's, much to Gwaine's indignation. They were just mounting when they heard the sound of armored shoes hitting stone ground. They knew what that meant. The guards had broken out and were coming.

"Go!" Arthur yelled, and they took off into the forest, just as the guards started pouring out of the castle and either chasing them on foot, or heading to the stables to mount a horse.

"What happened to five minutes?" Lancelot asked, disgusted at the actions of the guards.

"Five minutes means nothing to them. They get paid money if they catch whoever it is that's been banished before they leave the border. That's how we make sure they weren't letting anyone who came into the border off with a warning." Arthur replied, ashamed that he ever allowed such behavior to manifest into this barbaric wave of people trying to claim a reward.

They rode in silence for a while, before coming up to a secluded path that Merlin knew very well.

"Hey, down that path right there, is a large clearing that we can stop in, through that break in the trees."

Merlin pointed and Arthur turned his horse down said path. The Knights followed Arthur and soon only Merlin was left. He followed, but once he was going down the path he turned around. His eyes burned liquid gold as he whispered, " _Andslyht_ " (blow) and the fallen leaves covered up their tracks*.Satisfied, Merlin turned around and followed to others down the path and into the clearing

* * *

Once everyone had tied their horses up, they were sitting in a circle, coming to grips with everything that has happened. Gwaine was the one who broke the silence.

"Ok, so, I'm a bit lost. What in the name of Albion happened back there?"

Everyone was curious about that too. Lancelot was worried about whether or not Merlin was seen using magic.

"Well, Arthur was accused of sorcery, disinherited, banished, we all made a mad dash to get out and now we're here." Lancelot deadpanned.

"What did Merlin pack?" Asked Percival.

Merlin was reluctant to let everyone see his magic book, but he figured that if his secret wasn't out by now, it would be soon enough. So he took the flap that keeps everything inside the pack and opened it. He then pulled out the things he packed, displaying them for all to see.

"So, we have two full waterskins, the clothes on our backs and one extra outfit, three loaves of bread, a book, two blankets, a physician's bag, five horses, a dragon figurine and a stick with a rock on top." Lancelot reported.

"And no mead! What were you thinking Merlin?" Gwaine said in mock frustration.

Elyan was confused. "I understand the food and water and those things, but how's a stick is going to help us?"

Arthur wasn't paying any attention to what they were saying. He had eyes only for the dragon carving. He knew who that was from and he knew the significance.

"Is that…?" Arthur trailed off, pointing to the dragon carving. Merlin nodded, sadly. Once again, Arthur felt only sadness at what his manser- _friend_ had to endure over the years.

"Alright. We make camp for the night. It's getting late and this would be the perfect place to rest. We leave at first light, so everyone should be up before dawn breaks." Arthur ordered, cutting off all conversation

Everyone either forgot or didn't care that Arthur wasn't a Prince anymore and obeyed his orders. The Knights decided who would get a blanket tonight and worked out a sleep schedule between themselves, while Merlin pulled Arthur aside.

"Arthur. We need to talk to Kilgharrah. Find out what he knows about everything that's happening."

"Alright. When it's our turn to watch, we'll go see him. Do you know where he is?"

"Umm. Minor issue with that." Merlin avoided Arthur's eyes.

"What the issue?" Arthur's tone was dangerously low.

"Well, we usually meet at the very spot where the Knights are preparing to sleep right now."

"WHAT?!" Arthur whisper-shouted. Though it was probably more shouted because all the Knights turned their heads and looked at the ex-Prince and his ex-manservant.

"Not so loud! They'll hear."

"Well of course they will, clot-pole."

"That's my word"

"Yes, and it suits you perfectly. Now, what are we going to do? We need to talk to that dragon and we can't with all the Knights watching." Arthur said urgently,

"We could always just tell them." When Arthur stiffened he said. "If they are going to come with you into banishment, then I think it's fair that we have no secrets. Magic can really help us in this situation, we won't need flint to light a fire, we can just use magic. I think we should tell them."

Arthur contemplated Merlin's words. It does seem fair that the Knights know the truth, no doubt at least one of them suspects the ex-Prince. But would it be fair to Merlin to make him tell his secret. That's just stupid. He's the one who _wants_ to tell them. It would make everything a lot easier on the future. Yeah, we _should_ tell them.

"We'll tell them now. We can call the dragon and talk to him before we go to sleep. Then we'll decide out next move."

The Knights were watching Merlin and Arthur talking. They almost seemed to be arguing about something, but then they came to an agreement about whatever it was. They walked to where the Knights were watching. They watched the Knights, and the Knights watched them in a semi-awkward silence

"What was that about?" Elyan surprised everyone by breaking the silence first.

"Well-" Merlin started.

"You see-" Arthur interrupted.

"We need to tell you something." Merlin continued

"And it's really important." Arthur added

"And you'll likely want to kill us for hiding it." Merlin finished, shocking everyone except Lancelot.

Is he going to tell them? Has he already told Arthur? What's Arthur's part in this? Lancelot's head was filled with questions.

The other Knights were confused. Why would they want to kill Arthur or Merlin? What was so bad that they'd want to kill their leader and younger brother? What's going on?

"What's going on?" Percival asked the question on everyone's minds

"Yeah, why would we want to kill you?" Added Elyan.

"Whatever it is, you guys know you can tell us." Finished Gwaine.

Lancelot stayed silent

Arthur and Merlin shared a look. Then they say, in unison.

"We have magic."

The Knights are shocked. Gwaine was the first to recover.

"I knew it!"

"You knew?" Questioned Merlin and Arthur, in unison once again.

"About Merlin, yeah. I mean, flying plates? Subtle Merlin, subtle." Merlin had the grace to look sheepish. "But I had no idea about the Princess over here."

"I knew about Merlin. I've known since I met him. Arthur, on the other hand…" Said Lancelot.

"What do you mean 'since you met him'?" Arthur asked, accusation lacing his tone.

"Well, I didn't slay the Griffin, Merlin did. He made blue flames appear on the end of my lance and that killed the Griffin. Only he wouldn't take any credit for it, so I left to avoid taking credit for what someone else did. He didn't tell me, though. I was just more observant." Lancelot explained.

"Are you going to hand us over?" Arthur asked, with a touch of fear showing in his eyes.

"No, I've been to many places on my travels, and I know one thing. Magic isn't evil, the person who uses it decides what it needs to be used for." Gwaine replied, uncharacteristically solemn.

"No. Neither of you are evil. I don't think that anything could do that to the two of you. Gwaine's right. Magic is neutral. It's neither good nor evil." Elyan said

"I agree with Gwaine and Elyan." Said Percival, the man of few words.

"You already know why not." Said Lancelot.

"Thanks guys." Arthur said sincerely, with a genuine smile on his face.

"There's one more thing." Merlin said. "My father was Balinor, the Last Dragonlord. When he died, the power passed to me. So now I'm the last Dragonlord."

Merlin continued quickly, noticing that they were about to interrupt.

"I'm telling you this because of two things. One: We don't want to have any secrets with the people who have come into exile with us. Two: I need to call the Great Dragon, no, he's not dead, questions later, so that we can talk to him to plan our next move. Is that ok with you guys?"

Everyone seemed a bit nervous at the prospect of facing a dragon that could kill them all with one blow. Gwaine, as usual, was the first to break the tension with a joke.

"Well, night's getting on. Are we going to meet this giant, winged, fire-breathing lizard or not?" Gwaine asked.

"As long as Merlin's here to stop it from killing us." Lancelot joked.

"What could possibly go wrong?" asked Elyan, sarcastically.

"Sure, why not?" Said Percival.

Merlin took a deep breath and quite literally roared into the heavens.  
" _O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd hup anankes_ "

* * *

*Just imagine what Merlin did in to cover up their tracks in The Diamond of the Day Part 2. It's even the same spell.

* * *

 **AN: Whew! That took forever to write. A special thanks to Guest, FallingxThroughxTime, NightsAnger. fletty and Juliana Bradagamba for responding to the chant. The chant is Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi! So congratulations if you got that right. I'm thinking about starting a new thing at the end of the chapters. It's called The Question of the Chapter and you have to answer it in your reviews. So here's the question of the chapter. What's your favourite quote/line from the Merlin series? See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid.**


	7. Kilgharrah

**AN: Sorry about the break, school went back this week and we got son much homework, you would think that we were about to have exams. Excuses, excuses. I hope you like this chapter. Word count: 1997 words, so enjoy a long one. Btw, I used regular Greek for when Merlin is talking to Kilgharrah. I don't speak Greek, so blame Google Translate for any mistakes. Thanks to NerdGirlAlert, Guest, Guest, Ladyliz2, SongoftheDarquePheonix, Lya200, bubzchoc, Juliana Brandagamba, bleeb90, Triquetra123** **and Guest for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

 _Merlin took a deep breath and quite literally roared into the heavens.  
"O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd hup anankes"_

Meanwhile.  
Uther is conflicted. There, he said it. He has no idea what to do. The guards had been sent to capture the fugitives before they got too far away, and Uther was sure that they would be captured. The problem was, what to do with them once they were brought back.

His only son (though he wasn't anymore, he had been disowned), has been accused as a sorcerer. When confronted with this accusation, he ran. In Uther's mind, that is a sure sign that someone was guilty of what they were accused of. Therefore, Arthur is a sorcerer. There is now no doubt that he is, as he chose to run as opposed to face the consequences of his actions. Just like the corrupt, selfish and evil sorcerers that so constantly plagued his lands.

Hadn't he raised Arthur well? Hadn't he opened his mind to the truth at the right age? Hadn't he done everything to protect Arthur from being corrupted by the evils of magic? Why does everyone he cares about always fall to magic?

First his dear, sweet Ygraine, killed by the back-stabbing, lying Nimueh. Then Morgana, his gentle and loving ward, following in her half-sister's footsteps and being corrupted into the vicious thing she is today. And now Arthur. His son, the _apparent_ reason his wife is dead, choosing to learn the deadly arts that he so often fought against, choosing to leave his father and his duties and revel in Satan's ways. No more. He will put a stop to this. He will double his efforts and bring his son to justice, heir or no heir, (though when he finds Arthur, not if, _when_ , then it'll be no heir).

Having decided what to do, he addresses the remaining Knights.

"I want you to ride out and join the guards in finding Arthur. Sir's Pellinor and Kay will stay as guard, the rest of you will go out and you will not come back until you find them. If you must, kill his companions, but I want Arthur alive, no matter what you have to do to him."

All the Knights heard the hidden meaning. If he refuses to come, threaten his companions. If he still doesn't come, stay true to your threat. If he _still_ doesn't come, then it's perfectly acceptable to torture him, just keep him alive. Subdued, but alive.

Some Knights were happy that they could finally get revenge on the person who pushed them too hard in training. Some were indifferent as to who they were capturing, on that they could go hunt someone. Some were displeased that they had to capture the man who they called a friend. Some were shocked and horrified that Uther would be so dismissive of the fact that this is his son and would order a man-hunt on him.

And some knew Uther, not well necessarily _well_ , but better than the other Knights could claim. They knew that inside he was hurt that he had to kill his only son, but his duty to Camelot and his need to uphold his own, in their opinion, _ridiculous_ laws, came before personal desires so, according to his 'logic', Arthur must die. They didn't want to hunt down their ex-Prince, but they couldn't go against Uther's order because it would be treason, and an ex-Prince wasn't worth Uther's rage at treason of any shape or form. So the Knights bowed their heads and all but Sir Pellinor and Sir Kay left to saddle their horses and ride out to find Arthur.

* * *

In the clearing, Merlin had just finished calling the dragon. The Knight's were shocked at the authority in the young warlock's voice. Elyan jumped back in shock. Lancelot stared at Merlin with a look of pride and admiration. Gwaine smiled warmly at the recently discovered warlock/Dragonlord. Percival's eyebrows lifted, but he didn't say anything and Arthur stared disbelievingly at his manservant.

Gwaine was the first to speak. "What language was that?"

Lancelot was wondering that too.  
Merlin was brief and straight to the point, his mind occupied with other things. "That was the language of the dragons."

"What did you say?" Lancelot asked curiously.

"O dragon, now indeed I utter to you commands out of necessity. It basically means that all hell's going to go down unless he comes quickly. Which it is, because we don't really have a plan at the moment."

"Fair enough." Elyan said, joining the conversation. "So now what?"

It was Gwaine who answered. "Now we wait."

After a few minutes of semi-awkward silence, Elyan asked the question he had been wondering about earlier. "What's with the stick?"

"Hmm?" Was all the answer he received.

"The stick in your pack." He clarified. "Where's it from? Why'd you bring it?"

"Oh. It's not a stick. It's a Sidhe staff. It's from that time when Sophia enchanted Arthur to fall in love with her, so she and her father could sacrifice him to buy Sophia's immortality back. I followed them to the Lake of Avalon and used Sophia's dropped staff to kill the both of them and then pulled Arthur out of the lake before he drowned. I brought it because it's powerful and can kill Sidhe and other creatures easier then another spell would." Merlin answered.

The Knights were shocked that Merlin had done all that. Had Merlin really just killed two people like that! This was the same man who put his best efforts into scaring away game when they went hunting, the man who hid behind trees whenever there was a battle. Could he really just kill two people to protect Arthur. Yes, Merlin is beyond loyal to Arthur and would give his life to protect him. But had he really killed two people? Only Arthur was there when this was taking place, and he only had a vague idea of what really happened. So they didn't really know what Merlin was talking about.

Before they could ask, they heard the sound of beating wings in the distance and they all fell silent in trepidation of the dragon's appearance. Kilgharrah certainly seemed to be milking the audience. He _slowly_ turned a circle over the trees and then he _slowly_ brought himself down to the ground. He turned his head to face present company and growled, then seemed to be roaring incomprehensibly. The Knights didn't know what to make of this. They were under the impression that the dragon could speak English. They were doubly shocked when Merlin started roaring in the same manner. They seemed to be talking.

"Giatí me kálese?" (Why have you summoned me?)

"Arthur échei mageía." (Arthur has magic.)

"Boreíte simeío eínai?" Kilgharrah said, seemingly bored (Your point is?)

"Íxeres!?" He cried, indignantly. (You knew!?)

Fysiká íxera. I moíra den échei krýpsei pollá prágmata apó ména." (Of course I knew. Fate has not hidden many things from me.)

While Merlin and Kilgharrah were talking, the Knight's and ex-Prince were awkwardly waiting for them to start talking in English.

"What do you think they're saying?" Gwaine asked.

"No idea." said Percival.

Then the conversation, thankfully, changed to English.  
"If fate hasn't hidden anything from you, tell me why Arthur needs me? He has magic, he doesn't need a protector. I'm useless." Merlin said.

The Knights didn't care that there was a large, scaly, fire-breathing lizard standing in front of them. They didn't care that it could kill them in a second. All they knew was that their friend, their _brother_ was hurting, and they needed to fix it. They rushed to their friend and all started talking at once.

"That's not true!" Said Percival.

"You've helped us so much!" Gwaine added.

"How could you think that?" Exclaimed Elyan.

"Merlin, I know all of the things that you've done. Believe me when I say you're not useless." Said Lancelot.

"You aren't useless. You've probably done more things than all the knights put together have done." Arthur said.

"Listen to your friends, young warlock. As for whether the young Pendragon needs you, does the Once and Future King not need the help of the warlock Emrys to unite Albion?" Kilgharrah asked in a patronising tone.

The Knights were confused by the names, but it seemed to have an effect on their friend.

"That is irrelevant and you know it!" Merlin exclaimed, angrily.

"It is completely relevant. Much like the Once and Future King needs Emrys, Arthur Pendragon needs Merlin.*"

Percival knew those names from somewhere. After his village was burnt, he had stayed with the Druids for some time. They often mentioned those names, but he had no idea what they meant.

"But…" Merlin tried.

"No buts, Merlin." Kilgharrah interrupted. "You want to know why the young Pendragon needs you. The answer is simple. While the young Pendragon possesses magic, he cannot do even a little bit of the things you can do. Young Pendragon." Arthur jumped when the dragon addressed him. "What magic can you do?"

With everyone's eyes on Arthur he replied, "Shields. Only shields."

"I propose a test. Arthur shields himself while Merlin attacks." At Merlin and Arthur's shocked expressions, he added. "Not a harmful spell. Just try and stun him." When they still didn't move, he growled. "Now would be preferable. There still are guards chasing you."

 _"Just go with it Arthur. He won't let up until you do."_ Merlin said in Arthur's mind.

Arthur jumped almost a metre** when he heard Merlin's voice in his head.

 _"Merlin!? How on earth at you in my head?"_

 _"Long story. It's a Druid thing. But that's not the point. Like I said earlier, Kilgharrah is famous for his stubbornness."_

 _"What, like you?"_

"Ar- _thur"_

"Mer- _lin"_

 _"Clotpole."_

 _"Idiot"_

 _"Dollophead"_

 _"Girl"_

 _"Prat"_

 _"Bootlicker"_

 _"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"_

The Knights and Kilgharrah watched as the two warlock's faces morphed from shocked, to annoyed, to teasing and finally to angry. The Knights had no clue what was going on, but Kilgharrah did, was listening and was about to act on it.

 _"SHUT UP! The both of you are driving me insane!"_ Kilgharrah yelled into their minds.

 _"What are you doing here Kilgharrah?"_ Merlin asked, his face that of an innocent child.

 _"I'm shutting you up,_ before _you drive me round the bend. Look at the Knights. You've been silent for so long, they have no idea what's going on. So start bickering out loud so they don't go crazy."_ Then he pulled his mind out of their conversation and started talking to the Knights

 _"So we go with it?"_ Arthur asked.

 _"Might as well. We don't have many other options, so, yeah."_ Merlin confirmed.

Merlin pulled himself from Arthur's mind and addressed Kilgharrah, resignedly. "Should we do this test thing now, or later?"

The Knights were now sure they had missed something. Three minutes ago, Merlin was set firmly against doing anything to hurt Arthur, intentionally or otherwise. Now he seemed to accept that he had to do it. And what was with the facial expressions from before. They seemed to be having their own silent conversation, but that was impossible. Right…?

Merlin and Arthur stood about twenty metres away from each other. They were just standing there. Then Kilgharrah called out "Arthur, put your shield up."

Arthur was uncomfortable using magic in front of so many people, but he swallowed his discomfort, raised his hand, and a shield the same colour as his eyes popped up in front of him.

Once his shield was in place, the dragon called out "Merlin, try and stun him."

Merlin looked apprehensive, but did as he was asked. He called out " _Ástríce_ " (strike) as his eyes flashed gold. The spell flew towards Arthur, but was stopped by his shield.

Arthur smirked at Merlin, who, very maturely, stuck his tongue out at him. Arthur laughed at Merlin, before a stick from behind him flew up to whack him on the head. Arthur spun around, and finding no one, turned to face Merlin, the gold colour fading from his eyes. Everyone started laughing as the ex-Prince yelled.

"MERLIN!"

* * *

*I'm well aware that the Once and Future King is Arthur and Emrys is Melin, I just though that giving confusing and cryptic advice like this is something Kilgharrah would do

**Since I'm from Australia, I'm using the metric system.

* * *

 **Ok. So there's that. Some of you put in your reviews that Uther is too OOC, so that 'meanwhile' bit at the start was to show his thought process. But he has gone half-mad after Morgana's betrayal, so he isn't thinking right. Was Kilgharrah ok? I tried my best not to make him OOC, really, I did.  
Special thanks to NerdGirlAlert, Guest, Ladyliz2, Lya200, Juliana Bradagamba, Triquetra123 and** **Guest for leaving an answer to the Question of the Chapter. The quotes you put in are on my profile with the favourite quotes (go check it out). You can still put in quotes, if you want to, and I'll put them on my profile. My favourite quote is from The Dark Tower. "Left is right and right is left and the way behind is the way ahead." -Queen Mab.  
** **The Question of the Chapter is: Who is your favourite Merlin character and why. If you have any suggestions for other Question of the Chapters, feel free to put them in your reviews.  
** **See you in another life. ScruffydaDruid.**


	8. The First Night

**AN: Here's the next chapter. it's not as long as the others have been, only 1414 words, but hopefully it's alright. Thanks to NC, Guest, Guest, bubzchoc, Lya200, Chatterbox818,** **Juliana Brandagamba, Ladyliz2, BabyGlover, AMJJ, Guest, Guest and NerdGirlAlert for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

 _Arthur smirked at Merlin, who, very maturely, stuck his tongue out at him. Arthur laughed at Merlin, before a stick from behind him flew up to whack him on the head. Arthur spun around, and finding no one, turned to face Merlin, the gold colour fading from his eyes. Everyone started laughing as the ex-Prince yelled._

 _"_ _MERLIN!"_

Once everyone had stopped laughing, Kilgharrah asked a question. "Now why would I make you do that? Why would I want the young warlock to attack the young Pendragon? Anyone?"

Kilgharrah proposed the question as if he was talking to a group of children on the first day of school, and everyone felt compelled to answer.  
"To show that Arthur can protect himself." Answered Merlin

"Of course. My shields often act out on their own, to protect me from something I cannot see. When they do this, they're invisible. It's kind of like how whenever someone poisoned my food, I'd just _know_ not to eat it. Though why it didn't work when Bayard poisoned me, I don't know." Arthur looked thoughtful for a second.

"I think I know, Princess. It didn't work, because magic man over here." Gwaine points at Merlin.

"That's my new nickname isn't it." Merlin interrupted.

"You bet. Anyway, it bet that it's because Merlin was there to protect you."

"Exactly. Arthur has magic for when Merlin wasn't around to protect him. All those years, that's how he stayed alive. Eventually, the threats became so dangerous, that you needed outside help, that being Merlin. That's where he comes in." Explained Kilgharrah.

"That makes sense. Before you came, it was always constant vigilance, constant vigilance. But something told me that I wouldn't have to protect myself anymore. That I wouldn't always need to be on alert. That was the day before you showed up. It makes sense. Not that I needed your help, of course."

"Prat. Do you know how many times I've saved your life?"

"Do I want to?"

"Your over-stuffed ego would be taking a beating."

"Then no, I don't want to.

"Clot-pole"

"Don't start this again." Said Kilgharrah, exasperated.

"Just to recap. Merlin and Arthur have magic. Arthur can do awesome shields that protected him before Merlin showed up. Merlin is a Dragonlord and can perform most types of magic. When Merlin showed up, Arthur knew that he wouldn't need to protect himself anymore, and Merlin has saved Arthur's life more times then he can count. Is there anything I missed?" Summarised Lancelot.

"Nope." Arthur said

"That's about it." Agreed Merlin.

 _"_ _Young warlock, you haven't told them about the prophecy."_ Kilgharrah warned, in his mind

 _"_ _I don't want them to look at me differently."_ Explains Merlin

 _"_ _You can't keep lying, and they're going to find out anyway."_ Cautions Kilgharrah

 _"_ _What makes you say that?"_ Merlin asks

Kilgharrah answered aloud instead.  
"I would recommend contacting the druids, young warlocks. They can help you with your destiny in more ways then one." Kilgharrah said, cryptically.

 _"_ _KILGHARRAH! Why would you say that?"_

Kilgharrah ignores him  
"Until we meet again." He calls over his shoulder as he flies over the forest.

"That bloody dragon" Merlin mutters under his breath, watching Kilgharrah fly off.

Everyone stood there for a few minutes, wondering what to do now. Elyan broke the silence  
"So, we need to find the druids." Elyan confirms

"Pretty much, yeah." Gwaine says.

"How are we going to do _that_? They almost _never_ stay in the same place for long. We could search the _entire_ forest and _still_ not find them." Elyan complains.

"Don't be such a pessimist, Elyan. We have _Mer_ lin, and _he_ can find them. Right Merlin?" Asked Arthur.

"What? Oh, yeah, I can find them." Assured Merlin.

In truth, he wasn't paying attention. Now that he knew _why_ Arthur had magic, and had been reassured that he _was_ in fact needed, he was procrastinating about telling the Knights, not to mention _Arthur_ , about the prophecy. It wasn't just because he didn't want the knights to look at him differently, though that was a part of it. It was mainly because he _specifically_ said 'no more lies.' In truth, it had just slipped his mind, but he was sure his companions wouldn't see it that way.

So he had no idea what to do. Should he tell them now and get it over with? Should he tell them in the morning? Should he let the druids tell them? Should keep them away from the druid camp and make sure they never find out at all? He knew that he was just sleep-deprived and would have a clearer mindset in the morning, but he wasn't tired, and he _certainly_ wasn't going to sleep with the guards looking for them. So he resolved to stay guard all night. Which was convenient, because that's what the Knights and Arthur were discussing.

"I'll take first watch." Lancelot said.

"I'll take second." Percival added.

"I'll take the last." Elyan said.

"No guys. I'm not tired. I'll keep watch and you all sleep." Said Merlin.

"Not a chance. You look dead on your feet. No. You, me and the Princess are sleeping tonight, and tomorrow night we'll take watch. How does that sound." Gwaine said, pulling Merlin next to the fire.

Arthur nodded to Gwaine gratefully.  
"You may not be tired, but we can't have one person staying guard all night. One, it's unsafe and two, you need to sleep Merlin. I'm sure you didn't get much sleep last night either, what with the hunting trip you needed to prepare for."

Merlin sat bolt upright. Had it really only been one day? In one day, Arthur found out about his magic, and revealed his own. In one day, Arthur had been banished and the Round Table Knights (excluding Leon) had made a dash to the forest with him. In one day, the Knights had accepted who he was and met Kilgharrah, the most cryptic of them all. Had it really only been one day…?

The Knights watched, alarmed as Merlin sat upright and looked as though in deep thought. About thirty seconds had passed, when relaxed, looking pleased and shocked and amused, all at once. Gwaine asked the question on everyone's mind.  
"What was that about?"

"I just realised that so much has happened today. You guys and Arthur found out and met Kilgharrah. Today's been massive. So much has happened…" Merlin trailed off, once again thinking.

"Well, I think we all need to sleep. Lancelot's on first watch, like planned. We leave for the druid camp at dawn, so be ready" Arthur ordered.

Everyone nodded and went to Merlin's pack and pulled out the two blankets. The Knights had already stripped off their cloaks, so they had four cloaks* and two blankets. The cloaks could cover one person, and the blankets could cover two. Since they were keeping watch at some point, Lancelot, Percival and Elyan used their cloaks and settled near the fire, but far enough out so they could be woken without disturbing the others.

Arthur grabbed Gwaine's cloak before Gwaine could, and simply stared the the fabric mournfully. The others knew he was missing Camelot and didn't dare interrupt. The he jumped up and also grabbed a blanket, so he had a cloak and a blanket. Gwaine sighed, grabbed the last blanket and walked to where Merlin was sitting, staring at the flames.

"You ok?" He asked.

Merlin jumped. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked with a dopey smile Gwaine that knew was faked, but he decided not to question it.

"Well, there's one blanket left and there's two of us, so…" Gwaine trailed off.

"Oh. You take it. I'm not cold." Merlin lied.

"I know a lie when I see it." At this Merlin scoffed. "Well, maybe not _all_ the time, but _that_ was a lie. What I was trying to say is that we'll share it. It's big enough for two."

"Really? Thanks Gwaine!" Merlin was happy. He thought that as the servant, he wouldn't get anything, but here was Gwaine, willing to share his blanket with a lowly servant such as himself.

So they all got settled. Gwaine and Merlin under one blanket, Arthur on top of a cloak and under a blanket, Percival and Elyan in their cloaks and Lancelot on top of his cloak, just outside the circle. All but Lancelot fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground.

* * *

*Arthur didn't wear his cloak while hunting

* * *

 **I hope you liked it. As I said, not as long as the last couple have been, but we have gone back to school, so I'm juggling that on top of this. Special thanks to Guest, Lya200, Juliana Brandagamba, Ladyliz2, AMJJ, Guest and NerdGirlAlert for answering the Question of the Chapter. My favourite character is Gwaine because he's comedy relief, badass and very loyal.**  
 **The Question of the Chapter is: What is your favourite spell and why? (Suggested by Guest (the one who reviewed under bubzchoc). Thanks for that!)  
** **Just clarifying, whenever I put in the names of who reviewed what, I do it in order of bottom to top, or in this case, earliest to latest. So whenever I write 'Guest', the first one is the earliest one, the second the second-earliest one and so on and so forth. Just clearing that up in case you were confused.**  
 **See you in another life. ScruffydaDruid.**


	9. Meeting the Druids

**AN: Sorry about the wait, school had been really demanding lately. To make up for it, here's a longish chapter. It's 1,475 words, and I'm exhausted. Waking up at 5:30am for training is hard. Thanks to Lya200, rmatri540, bubzchoc, NerdGirlAlert, Juliana Bradagamba, TheDarkestDreams and morningstar115 for reviewing the last chapter.  
**

 **Extra, extra, _extra_ special thank you to Lya200 for helping with this chapter (you'll see how at the end). It really would've taken so much longer to get this done without your help, so seriously, thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

 _All but Lancelot fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground._

The next morning Elyan was surprised to see that Merlin woke up a good hour and a half before dawn, even more so when he walked into the forest to find breakfast. He came back about half an hour later with some berries. He then grabbed a loaf of bread, toasted it on the fire and spread the berries on top, essentially making a jam sandwich, which he cut into sixths.

A little later, Merlin helped Elyan wake everyone up about half and hour before sunrise and they enjoyed their breakfast together (although Merlin only ate half of his and gave the rest to Arthur, who refused but Merlin insisted). Then they packed up the blankets and cloaks, stamped out the fire and watched as Merlin sent out a telepathic message to the Druids.

" _We need somewhere to stay. Can you help us?_ " Merlin sent his message to the Druid leader, Iseldir.

 _"_ _Of course, Emrys. Walk north-east from where you are until you come to cave with three trees in a line directly in front of it. We are there."_ Iseldir replied.

 _"_ _Thank you. I'm, uh, bringing the Knights…and Arthur."_ Merlin added, not sure where Arthur and the Druids stand after the whole 'Cup of Life' scenario.

 _"_ _It was foretold that we would meet the Once and Future King and his Knights of the Round Table in their time of need. We can only assume that this foretold time is now."_ Iseldir cryptically replied.

Merlin rolled his eyes. _"You remind me of a certain dragon I know. North-east until we get to the line of three trees in front of a cave?"_

 _"_ _Follow these directions Emrys, and we shall see you soon."_ And the connection broke off.

"This way." Merlin pointed north-east and started walking, looking over his shoulder to make sure the Knights following him.

* * *

They walked for about two and a half hours before finding the tree configuration they were looking for. The Druids had been buzzing around Merlin and Arthur's heads for the last half hour, so they knew they were drawing close.

They walked to the line of trees and found Iseldir standing behind them.  
"Please step through the tree line. If you have any malicious intent, the trees will not allow you to pass. This is simply a test to make sure it is safe to let you in. We hold no grudges against you." Iseldir announced as they drew close.

The companions all looked at each other, none wanting to go first. Eventually, Merlin sighed and shook his head.  
"I'll go first, then you can follow me." He exclaimed, exasperated. Then he walked straight through the trees with no problems.

Arthur went next and had the same result. Then Gwaine and Percival walked through and having spent time with the Druids before, were used to their methods and had no problems. Lancelot went through next and then it was Elyans turn.

Elyan was nervous. He had no conflict with the Druids themselves, but he was still frightened of magic after only knowing its true nature for less then a day. He wasn't sure if his wariness towards magic wold allow him to pass through. He sucked up his courage and stepped through the trees…which made no move towards him whatsoever, apart from a rustle that could have easily been wind passing through.

In front of the group stood a large clearing of tents. There were about twenty of them, with Druids milling around and going about their day-to-day business. When they noticed the new-comers, they all started to flock towards them. Though the Druids used no words, it was clear they were communicating using their mind speak.

Eventually, all the Druids in the camp were in front of them. Merlin could pick up on parts of their mind-conversations, as could Arthur, who looked rather nervous. Though it was understandable since he was hearing voices in his head, and was since he entering a camp of people he once helped his father exterminate, choice or not. After it was clear that each side was waiting for the other to speak first, Merlin sent out a message to all the Druids.

 _"_ _We've come here for a reason. We need your help. We need somewhere to stay for a while, but we don't know for how long. Will you help us?"_

 _"_ _Of course, Emrys. We said we would help, and we will."_ The Druids sent back.

 _"_ _Thank you. But can you please talk out loud? The Knights are probably feeling awkward because of the extended silence."_ Merlin sent back, then closed the connection.

Surprisingly, some of the Druids chuckled at that, effectively breaking the awkward 'silence'. Then Iseldir spoke up. "It was foretold that the Druids will help the Once and Future King, the Knights of the Round Table and Emrys when their time of need arrives. Here they are now. What shall we do?"

There was a long silence that was interpreted as the Elders deciding wether or not to help them. Finally, Iseldir nodded and addressed the Knights, Arthur and Merlin.  
"The Elders and I have decided to follow what has been written in the Book of Destiny and help. We shall provide food, water and shelter and you will protect us from bandits and slave-hunters. You will help us hunt and cook the food we will eat, and in return we will provide for you as our own. Do you agree to these terms?"

They all looked at each other and nodded. Arthur stepped forward. "We accept your terms and thank you for your generosity and good-will. But I have a question."

Iseldir nodded. "Ask away. If we know the answer, we will give it to you."

"Why did you call us those strange names? You called my Knights something about a table, me something to do with the future and you called Merlin, Emmie*. I know he's a girl, but I didn't think you'd call him one."

The was a second of silence. Then…  
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" The Knights were literally leaning on each other for support, they were laughing so hard. Merlin was laughing almost as loudly as the Knights, and the Druids were killing themselves. The children were rolling on the floor with laughter, the adults were chuckling, even the elders were snickering behind their hands. After a minute or so, the laughter dies down and they all looked up to see the very confused and disgruntled face of the Once and Future King. His expression set them off again and it took several minutes for the laughter to die down completely.

"I am truly sorry, but could you repeat the question?" Iseldir asked, looking embarrassed.

"Why did you call us the strange names?" Arthur repeated, deliberately leaving out the part where he guessed them, as he knew that's what set them off.

Iseldir looked sharply at Merlin. He spoke in a disapproving tone. "You haven't told them of the prophecy?"

Merlin had the feeling he was being examined on the inside, just by looking at those eyes. "I was getting to it." The he realised something. "I've never actually heard the prophecy. Is there any way to hear it?"

"What prophecy? What is he talking about Merlin?" The Knights asked. Arthur just stared at Merlin, not sure what to think. Merlin kept another secret. When will they end?

Before Merlin could answer, Iseldir spoke up. "Seeing that Emrys has never heard the prophecy, and has requested to do as such, I propose we hear it. Then Emrys and his companions shall be up to date."

Two Druids ran off into a tent as soon as he was finished speaking. They reappeared a few seconds later, clutching a scroll in hand. They gave this to Iseldir, who opened and quickly read through it. Then he looked up, and began speaking. But the voice coming out of his mouth wasn't his own. It was the voice of a thousand people. The voices of all the men, women and children who had been executed in the Great Purge, they all meshed together to read the prophecy of their saviour, the prophecy that so many people died in the hope of accomplishing, the prophecy that is a beacon of light in the darkness for so many people all around Albion. It reads:

 _"_ _Two halves of the same whole,  
_ _Born of magic and of soul._

 _In this kingdom, magic returned  
_ _Once the warlock's secret hast been learned._

 _At the hands of a Druid, the great king dies,  
_ _But when Albion's need is greatest, he shall arise._

 _The Once and Future King will rise again  
_ _When greed and evil plague the hearts of men."**_

The sound echoed around them, as silence stole through the caves.

* * *

*I literally had tears in my eyes writing that sentence, I was laughing so hard.

 _**CREDIT TO LYA200 FOR PROPHECY. THANK YOU SO MUCH!_

* * *

 **So there you go. I meant to make it a bit longer, but it's already 7:50pm and I still haven't eaten dinner. Special thanks to Lya200, rmarti540, NerdGirlAlert, Juliana Brandagamba, TheDarkestDreams and morningstar115 for answering the Question of the Chapter.** **My favourite Merlin spell is ástríce because I really wish I could use it on teachers who annoy me.** **Just imagine.  
Teacher-Ok class, we are having a surprise test today that I am giving you the time it takes for me to hand this out to study for.  
** **Me-** **ástríce! *class all cheers* I mean honestly, who hasn't had a moment in their life when they haven't wanted to stun someone into oblivion?**

 **The Question of the Chapter is: What is your favourite Merlin episode out of all five seasons?  
** **See you in another life. ScruffydaDruid.  
** **Ps, can anyone guess where the 'see you in another life' thing comes from? Two hints. 1-The actual phrase is 'And I will see you in another life, brother'. 2-It's from a Youtube channel that specialises in Disney/Pixar theories. (I know I said two hints, but I looked it up on Googles, and it it NOT from Lost)**


	10. What now?

**AN: Hello! Remember me? You probably don't, but I'm back. I'm so incredibly sorry about the temporary hiatus. As you know from the previous Chapter 10 (that was deleted, which, now that I think about it, was sort of an unofficial hiatus notice) everything has been going crazy, but we are in the term 3 holidays at long, long last and I am back from the 'dead'. I got over a bad case of writers block and spent about half an hour planning where I want this story to go. This chapter is 1,704 words long and this story overall with no AN's is, wait for it, 14,374 words long! I am so happy and I hope you've enjoyed reading this just as much as I have. Thanks to bubzchoc, Ladyliz2, morningstar115, Lya200, Guest, Guest, NerdGirlAlert, Guest, Juliana Brandagamba, Guest, fastreader12, NC and TheTownWeirdo for reviewing that last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

* * *

 _The sound echoed around them, as silence stole through the caves._

The silence went on for a few moments, before Arthur, being the attention-demanding prat he is, broke it by cuffing Merlin around the head.

"Ow!" He cried, indignantly.

" _That_ was for keeping another secret. You said you had none left!"

Merlin mumbled something indecipherable.

"What was that?" Arthur asked, in a strained voice.

Merlin mumbled a bit louder.

"I can't hear you. Can you please say it louder?"

"I said, I was getting to it."

Gwaine face-palmed. "You were getting to it? Honestly mate, you're gonna have to do better then that!" He said, before Arthur could get in.

Merlin shrugged. "That's all I've got. Although, in my defence, I wasn't really thinking about the prophecy when I told you I had no more secrets. The ones I told you are the important ones. It just slipped my mind!"

"Slipped your- _Mer_ lin! Are you telling me that you _forgot_?" Arthur patronizingly asked.

Unabashedly, Merlin answered immediately. "Yes. I was a bit preoccupied at the time. The secret that could literally get me killed, was just revealed, so excuse me for not remembering some small detail. Besides, your secret was revealed at the same time, were you thinking about some random upcoming quest when we told the Knights?"

Arthur looked down. He hadn't thought of it like that. Not wanting to seem like Merlin's words were affecting him, his head quickly shot back up, a neutral expression on his face.

Merlin saw all this, and as though he could read Arthur's mind, and smirked. Then he turned to Iseldir and sent a mind-message to him.

 _"_ _Is there anything else you'd like to say, or can we rest before dinner?"_

 _"_ _Of course Emrys. I forgot how tired you all must be. I'll show you to a tent and we'll call you for dinner."_

 _"_ _I'll help with dinner. But the Knights will want to rest."_

 _"_ _No Emrys, we would be happy to cook for you. I'll show you to a tent now. Though I am curious, what secret were you referring to, that the Once and Future King is keeping."_

 _"_ _It's not my place to tell you that-"_

 _"_ _Of course not. My apologies."_ Iseldir interrupted him

 _"_ _Though I'm sure that he'll be happy to tell you very soon."_ Merlin finished his sentence.

The silence had stretched in for a while now, with Merlin and Iseldir's gazes locked. Gwaine was going to clear his throat when Isaledir nodded and said:

"I'm sure you'll want to have a rest; it has been a very long day for all of you. Elali, will you show our guests to an empty tent? We will call for you when dinner is ready."

"Thank you." Was all Arthur said. The other knights nodded their agreement and they followed the young boy to their tents.

Merlin, being Merlin asked Elali all about himself, which Elali was only too happy to answer. Elali was fifteen years old and an elemental sorcerer. He could connect with the element Earth and made it a point to wear the colours green and brown as often as he could. His mother was killed by Uther a year and a day after his birth. His father was killed three weeks after that, when he gave himself up to the Knights because of, as the Elders have told him, a broken heart. Elali was raised with the Druids and lived with one of the village elders; Annwyn. She was the healer and had helped his mother through pregnancy. However, Annwyn turned to Morgana's side after Morgause came to the camp to recruit followers and now makes poisons for Morgana's enemies. This was about a year and a half ago. Now Elali is under the care of Haemus. He can always make everyone laugh without even trying and takes care of all the orphaned children. Elali assured them that Haemus is really nice and that Elali was ok with all that had happened in his short, but eventful life.

Elali brought them through the crowd of Druids all clamouring to see their saviours and into a tent on the far side of the camp. Gwaine privately though that he was enjoying making them squirm and was already planning his revenge when they reached their tent. It was a large, thread-bare blanket that couldn't remember any colour other than the dirt-stained beige it had become over time. Arthur and his Knights made their way into the tent and found six mattresses set up with blankets, the same colour of the tent, next to them.

Merlin was quietly talking to Elali outside, but when Arthur called him in, he gave a quick goodbye and came inside. He put his pack down and pulled out the blankets and cloaks. Each knight grabbed their cloak while Arthur and Merlin took a blanket each. They chose their beds and Merlin put his dragon figurine at the head of his mattress. They were all thinking about the prophecy and then Arthur asked the big question.

"Merlin?" Merlin looked at Arthur, to show he was listening. "Why didn't you tell us about the prophecy last night?"

Merlin sighed and looked down. He knew should have known that Arthur would see though his, quite bad, excuse. He had been dreading this conversation since last night. He knew that he should have told them when the other secrets were told, but he couldn't. They wouldn't understand. They didn't know what it was like to have a gift that could get you killed. A gift they had been taught since they could remember to keep hidden, to keep secret, to never let anyone know. But most of all, they didn't understand how it made him feel. He was prophesised to do what seems like the impossible. To protect the man that would bring magic back to the lands. He was bombarded by Druids who knew what he was prophesised to do before he did, who knew the prophecies and thought they knew everything about him. It was bad enough that he knew he was powerful and born with his magic, something unprecedented, but having everyone else know…it was painful to think about.

Merlin sighed again. He remembered his words to Gilli. "It's, lonely. To be, more powerful than any man you know, and have to live like a shadow. To be, special and, have to pretend you're a fool. No one knows what that feels like. But, it became a habit. Wake up, serve Arthur, help Gaius, save Camelot from some threat, sleep, repeat. I liked it. I didn't want anything to change. Yes, it was lonely, but I was content. If I told you, you would have looked at me differently, like you are now. You might have hated me. So I was happy to leave it as is, because I was scared you would hate me. I treasure our friendship too much to risk that.

"As for last night, secrecy is a habit. I've always been taught to keep all my cards close to my chest, so I kept this quiet. I am sorry for keeping secrets, but I'll answer any questions you have, unless there is a real reason not to."

And thus the conversation about everything Merlin has done for Camelot began. The dragon, Valient, the afanc, the griffin, Edwin Muriden, the Sidhe, the wraith, the unicorn, Cornelius Sigan, the troll, Freya, the Knights of Medir, the goblin, the crystal cave, immortal armies, the Changeling, the Fisher King, the manticore and most recently, the cup of life. They laughed, they cried and their hearts went out for their youngest brother, who had done so much, sacrificed almost everything and could keep going, keep smiling. Eventually, their talk turned to Camelot, and what they were going to do.

"We should stay here. My father would sooner kill us than welcome us back to Camelot." Arthur said. No one had the heart to remind him that Uther Pendragon was no longer his father.

"But what about Gaius, Gwen, Leon?" Asked Merlin.

"If they want us, they can come find us." Gwaine put in. The others nodded in agreement.

"I can put an enchantment on us, so only people we know who are looking for us with good intentions can find us" Merlin put in. Arthur looked surprised at this idea and nodded his consent. "Good idea Merlin." Lancelot said.

"Smart idea. What do you guys think?" Gwaine asked. Percival and Elyan agreed and let Merlin do his thing.

" _Protekus ni æt wrydan ge nedezirata okulo. Protekus ni æt wrydan ge nedezirata okulo_. _Protekus ni æt wrydan ge nedezirata okulo_ *" Merlin chanted softly, slowly getting louder. A soft light filled the tent and surrounded the six of them. Arthur recognised the light as Merlin and relaxed into it. Elyan was slightly nervous until he felt the light. He drowned in the innocence and _pureness_ of the magic. This is _Merlin_. He realised. Protective and loyal to a fault, but kind and caring to everyone and anyone he meets. The other were having similar thought as the magic died down and they were left with a tingling feeling spreading from their toes to their head that soon faded.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, relishing in the magic that had just passed though them, when Arthur said. "Great, that's sorted. Now, I need you to polish my armour, sharpen my sword, do my washing, rub down my horse-"

Merlin cut him off. "You're not Prince Arthur anymore. You're just Arthur. So you're not my master. And I don't have to do a thing that you say."

"Not like you ever did anyway." Arthur muttered snidely.

Merlin overheard and just had to counter such an insult to his person. "Dollophead"

"Girl" Arthur was always ready to engage in a verbal battle with the his destiny.

"Clotpole"

"That's not a word, _Mer_ lin! Define, clotpole." Arthur said, having a feeling he knew what was coming

"In two words?" Merlin asked. He had been waiting to say this for years.

"…Sure?" Arthur had a very bad feeling about this.

"Arthur Pendragon" Merlin cried happily, preparing to run, duck or dodge what was coming.

"MERLIN!" Arthur screamed.

Merlin out of the tent to escape the Prat's rage and went to help make the dinner, laughing all the way.

* * *

*Protect us from harming and unwanted eyes.

* * *

 **Super sorry for the long, long, _long_ wait, but I have two weeks to write and hopefully finish this story. Chapter 11 is underway and will come out asap, considering the fact that I'm not doing anything except watch YouTube and read FanFiction for the next two weeks. Special thanks to Ladyliz2, morningstar115, Lya200, Guest, NerdGirlAlert, Guest, Juliana Brandagamba, and Guest for answering the Question of the Chapter. **  
**The 'see you in another life' thing was from the SuperCarlinBrothers (well done to Guest, fastreader12 and TheTownWeirdo for getting that right). I love their channel and I absolutely recommend checking them out. They don't do Merlin things, but they have lots of harry Potter and general Pixar/Disney theories and I love watching them all the time. Please check them out (#notsponsored, just a really big fan).**  
 **Question of the chapter: What is your favourite villain/bad guy in Merlin?**  
 **See you in another life. ScruffydaDruid.**


	11. The Search

**AN: Hello everybody. This chapter is all about Leon, who was left in Camelot. I hope you enjoy and I'm sorry for the slight cliff-hanger at the end, but you know how much I love _writing_ cliff-hangers, but hate receiving them. It's 1,168 words long and I really hope you enjoy. Thanks you to NC, bubzchoc, Lya200 (love the fun fact), morningstar115, Juliana Bandagamba and fastreader12 for reviewing the  recent Chapter 10. Thanks to shadowswithouthope, Ladyliz2, AnneMary, LillyBellule and Guest for reviewing the deleted Chapter 10. Sorry if that confused you. On with the chapter!**

* * *

Camelot was in pandemonium. Patrols were being ordered left and right. Shifts were being doubled and squires were being knighted all over the place. Uther Pendragon was the eye of the storm and clearly not to be messed with. He called all the Knights that weren't on duty to the Throne Room and sent them to off on patrols, regardless of the fact that most were only just off a patrol or guard duty themselves.

Any knight who Arthur was friendly with was questioned and Gaius was asked for his input on the situation. Kolby was brought before the King and thrown in the dungeons when he couldn't answer where they could have gone. This was the turning point for Sir Leon. He had been questioned especially harshly as he was part of the 'Round Table' knights and had trained Arthur himself. Leon wasn't very upset about this, because he would have done the same in the king's place. What he didn't condone, nor understand, was the imprisonment of the boy, Kolby.

Kolby committed the crime of not knowing where a person he'd never met had gone to. Yes, he was the one who brought allegations about the possibility of Arthur having magic forward. But that does not mean that he knows where Arthur and the Knights went. Yet the King would punish him for not having the right information at the right time? No, Sir Leon decided. This is wrong. The King is wrong. _Uther_ is wrong. Leon may have sworn allegiance to the King, but he no longer thinks of Uther as his King. Arthur may have been disinherited for accusations of magic (which Leon believes were entirely false; Arthur testified _against_ having magic) but nonetheless, _he_ is Leon's king. Especially after he pulled that sword out a solid piece of rock. Arthur is the rightful King and Leon was going to help his friend and brother.

So when a servant stopped him and told him that the King was holding a council meeting and all available Knights were required to attend, Leon waked to the Throne Room with a new resolve.

Three hours and countless arguments later, the council still hadn't decided the best course of action. Uther had wanted to send _all_ the Knights and _all_ the guards on patrols to find the 'fugitives' but the council argued that Camelot needed its protectors to keep it safe from invaders and sorcerers. Uther conceded to the fact that if Cenred or, Albion forbid, _Morgana_ caught word of Camelot's plight, they'd be facing an immediate attack, perhaps _another_ immortal army if they weren't careful. Uther then wanted to send half the Knights and half the guards, but the council shot this down, saying that as long as they didn't know where the 'fugitives' went, they couldn't very well send Knights after them. This lead to the debate about where they actually went.

Sir Kay posed the idea that they would have gone somewhere that they are comfortable and are familiar with, like their childhood home, or to see their family. Merlin is dismissed as he is a servant and, in Uther's opinion, had an apparent mental deficiency. Very little is known about the Knights' background as they were commoners, but Gwen is brought in for questioning about Elyan, though she is quickly dismissed as the family had lived in Camelot all their lives and Gwen neglected to tell them about Elyan's rebellious period. Gaius proposes that Arthur might have gone to visit his uncle, Agravaine, but Uther decided that since Agravaine hadn't been to visit Arthur since he his fifth birthday, which Arthur may not even remember, it's unlikely that Arthur would go there.

Lord Rubeus argued that since Arthur had magic and it was either him or another one of the fugitives who locked them all inside the Throne Room, they would have gone to a place of magic. This lead to leaving guards near all known sacred magical places: The Isle of the Blessed, the Disir cave, the Lake of Avalon and many well-known Druidic Shrines.

Lord Eoin mentions that Arthur could have gone to stay with the Druids. They were a peaceful people and would help anyone in need. It's debated and decided to be true. Thus Uther ordered the rest of the Knights, and there weren't many at this point, to scour the forest to find all Druid camps and information about the fugitives. He also set a reward (2,000 gold pieces*) to anyone who brings forward useful information about the whereabouts of Arthur and his band of criminals. A reward and 5,000 for the servant, dead or alive, 10,000 gold pieces was offered for the capture of each of the knights, alive. 20,000 gold pieces for the capture of Arthur, as Uther wanted the 'pleasure' of killing Arthur and his Knight's himself, so they had to be alive. Uther didn't really care about Merlin, so he didn't really matter.

Uther also sent the four remaining Knights, Sirs Leon, Aaron, Jerald and Gregory to deliver the message about the rewards and gain any information they could about the Druids. And so the council said good evening and the four Knights rode out into the forest in search of the Druids.

They made camp an hour after sun down in an old clearing just off the edge of the lower town. It had a fire pit in the centre and they assumed that travellers had stayed the night there. They bid each other good night and settled down. Leon was the first on watch.

When the sun poked its golden head above the treetops, the Knights rode out. Sir Jerald had noticed six pairs of footsteps leading off in a north-east direction and had decided to follow them, on the off chance they were the 'fugitives' footsteps. Leon was getting very tired of hearing his brothers being called 'fugitives', but said nothing.

They rode for about an hour, following the footsteps, when they disappeared into a cave. In front of the cave stands three trees, side-by-side, as though they are guarding the cave. Sir Aaron dismounts and attempts to walk through, but cannot as the trees are too thick. He then walks around to the side of the trees to see if he can see into the cave, but its impossible to see through the trees, they're too thick.

He remounts and is about the ride away when Sir Jerald asks him why he gave up. Sir Aaron replies. "The trees are too thick. I couldn't get through." This gives Leon an idea. He dismounts, ignoring the questions from his fellow Knights and walks up to the trees. He whispers to them, quiet enough so that the Knights cannot hear. "I mean you no harm." He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath, solidifying his resolve…and steps straight through the trees, with no problem whatsoever.

He opens his eyes on the other side, and sees six people he'd hoped for, but never really believed he'd see again. Eyes bulging out of their sockets he whispers.  
"Arthur!"

* * *

*To put this into perspective, the reward for winning the tournament in Valiant was 1,000 gold pieces. This appeared to be quite a lot, so I'm going on a basis of 1 gold piece=$5, therefore if they won the tournament, they received $5,000. So they get $10,000 for information, $50,000 for the capture of each of the Knights, $25,000 for Merlin and $100,000 for Arthur. So if someone caught three of the Knights and had information about Arthur _and_ caught Merlin, do the math. Or I can do it for you. They would be rewarded $50,000.

* * *

 **There you go! Thank you so much for reviewing and enjoying, it really does mean heaps to me. I doubt you thought the next one would be up so soon, but as I said last time, I have nothing to do for the next two weeks except write this and some homework that I will procrastinate about. Did you know that the three Knights were named after my dad and uncles? Obviously you didn't, but now you do. Just a fun fact. Thanks to NC, Lya200, morningstar115, Juliana Brandagamba and fastreader12 for answering the Question of the Chapter. My favourite villain is Morgana, but Nimueh was great too.** **Question of the Chapter: Which is your favourite dragon, Kilgharrah or Aithusa.**  
 **See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid.**  
 **PS. Anyone catch the Harry Potter reference? Leave it in your review**


	12. Leon!

**Um... Hi. I'm back. It's been months, and I have one excuse. I couldn't actually upload chapters, so I couldn't actually post new ones. has that happened to anyone before? I figured out that I needed to upload the actual files, not just copy and paste them, and here I am. So, blame technology. I'm really sorry it's been so long. Thanks to Lya200, morningstar115, fastreader12, Juliana Brandagamba, bubzchoc, NC, fallenangelsofolympus, Snipern0sniping (love your name), Guest, ElvishPhanlockian, Guest and MythologyStar for reviewing.  
Also, this story now has over 100 reviews, oh my gosh, I'm so happy, I'm bouncing in my seat now and I did a happy dance when I found out. When I started this story and thought I'd be lucky to hit 30 reviews, so to have that much support and love from you guys is just amazing and I can't thank you enough for sticking with me for so long.  
I'm really sorry for taking so long with this update, I promise that this story will never have that long a hiatus ever again. To ensure that, you guys have my permission to PM me if I haven't updated in over a month. I'm super sorry about the massive delay with no warning, and I hope you enjoy this long-awaited chapter.**

* * *

 _He opens his eyes on the other side, and sees six people he'd hoped for, but never really believed he'd see again. Eyes bulging out of their sockets he whispers.  
_ _"Arthur!"_

It had been three days since the six rogues fled Camelot and came to the Druid camp. Every morning Merlin would help gather berries for breakfast and herbs for medicine. He'd wake up the Knights and they'd all eat together. Then the Knights would go hunting in the forest, being careful to stay out of sight.

The women would make lunch and they'd all convene again to eat. After lunch they'd continue hunting and Merlin would either help heal the injured or entertain the children with little tricks. A favourite of theirs was the dragon of embers. When asked what its name was, Merlin jokingly called it Kilgharrah, the arrogant riddle-maker. The name stuck and now Merlin was dreading having to explain to Kilgharrah why the children will grow up calling him an 'arrogant riddle-maker'.

Every night Merlin helped make dinner and shared stories around the campfire. On the second night, the Knights and Arthur came and helped, sharing their stories of battles and quests and, in Gwaine's case, bar fights. Lots and lots of bar fights.

On the third day, merlin had just finished eating his lunch when Iseldir called out to him. " _Emrys_." He mind-spoke to Merlin. " _A friend of yours is about to come through the trees_."

" _Who?_ " Merlin asked. But the connection had broken. Sighing, he walked to the Knights. "Someone we know is about to come through the trees."

"Who?" Arthur asked.

"No idea. Iseldir wouldn't tell me."

"Well, let's go meet them." Said Gwaine, ever the optimist. Everyone smiled at the roguish knight's constant enthusiasm and they all traipsed toward the mouth of the cave and the tree barrier.

No sooner then they arrived, did the trees harden and become impenetrable. They figured that someone had tried to get through with intents on harming them, and discovered the hard way that Druids were very hard to find if they are threatened.

But then they heard something that shocked them. Though the trees, they picked up a quiet whisper. A whisper from a man they knew very well.

"Leon" Percival breathed, not daring to believe that he found them.

But he had.

The next moment, a very well-known and long awaited person walked through the trees. He looked at them in shock. They look back in a similar fashion. Finally, eyes bulging from his head, he whispered. "Arthur!"

"Leon!" Arthur, Merlin, Elyan, Percival, Gwaine and Lancelot all shout, before converging onto him, firing questions at him like wildfire (except Percival, who just nodded a greeting).

"Are you alright?" Asked Lancelot

"Can you see us?" Merlin questioned, worried that his disguise hadn't worked

"How are things in Camelot?" Arthur was desperate for news

Gwaine's first question was, as always; "Did you bring ale?"

Elyan was worried for his sister "Is Gwen alright?"

Merlin was equally worried for his guardian "How's Gaius?"

"Are they all looking for us?" Arthur already knew the answer, but he needed a confirmation.

On and on it continued, before Percival stepped in. "Let the man breathe!"

At this point, they had Leon in a tight circle and were penning him in on all sides. They realized what they were doing and stepped back, ashamed. Percival smiled, pleased that he had been listened to. Leon then said. "One question at a time. Who's first?"

Arthur spoke up first (he was raised as a prince) "How are things in Camelot?"

Leon took a deep breath and blew it out quickly, showing how stressful it had been. "Crazy, sire. There have been council meetings everyday about the situation. You're being referred to as the 'fugitives' and everyone has been convinced of your 'guilt'. Patrols are being sent out all day and all night and guard duties are beings swapped every half hour. No Knight has been able to get a good night's sleep this whole time. I know I've only had about three-four hours of sleep every night so far with constant guard duties and patrols." Looking at Merlin, he added. "The servants don't have it much better either. They've all been questioned and have been ordered to check over every room in the castle to make sure there are no 'dangerous magical weapons' hidden anywhere." His tone when made it clear to all present what he thought of that particular order. That it was at the top of his list of 'Stupidest things he's ever seen'. Gwaine sticking his hand in a beehive was up there too.

They contemplated this for several seconds, before Elyan broke the silence. "How's Gwen?"

Leon smiled. "She's fine. She was questioned with all the other servants and then again briefly about where you two grew up. They were trying to think of some place you'd go to that you'd be familiar with, but Gwen made it quite clear that you grew up in Camelot. She just happened to forget to mention when you left Camelot for years." They all laughed at this.

Lancelot smiled. "That's our Gwen."

"What about Gaius?" Merlin asked.

Leon waved a hand. "Questioned briefly and then asked for his opinion. He's ok. No problems there."

"Did you bring ale?"

"No Gwaine. We're on a patrol. Not everyone brings ale on patrols" Leon replied, exasperated.

They all laughed at Gwaine's kicked-puppy look, but then Arthur thought through Leon's sentence. "Wait, what do you mean, we?"

"Oh, no! They're still out there."

"Who?" Percival asked.

"Sirs Jerald, Aaron and Gregory. We were the only available knight so we went patrolling together. Which reminds me, there's a bounty on all of your heads. 2,000 gold coin reward for information that leads to your capture. 10,000 gold coins for each of the Knights, alive, 5,000 for Merlin, dead or alive, and 20,000 for Arthur, alive."

They took a moment to process this information. Gwaine in particular was seething about the 'dead or alive' part tacked onto Merlin's reward, but shrugged his reward off. It wouldn't be the first time he had money put out for his capture.

Arthur felt cold dread enter his heart when he heard the amount Uther was willing to offer for his only son, regardless of the fact he was disowned. He was also worried for Merlin. He didn't like the fact that Merlin could be 'dead or alive' while everyone else had to be alive. It made Merlin a target for people trying to make easy money.

Elyan was in the same boat as Gwaine in regards to his experience with having money on his name, so he wasn't too worried.

Lancelot took it in stride, like he did with Merlin's magic, self-exile, the Cup of Life, being a Knight and Arthur's magic. All things considered, this was just another day in the life of Sir Lancelot.

Percival was thoroughly pissed at Uther. Why couldn't the man just leave them alone? He wasn't worried about being captured; it would take a lot of men to capture Percival. It would just make things complicated if they ever had to leave the Druids. Why couldn't they just be left alone? He lamented.

Merlin was glad that everyone had to be alive, it would make protecting them much easier. He wasn't worried about being captured; he could always just escape using magic. He was more worried about Arthur. How would it affect him to know that his father wanted him captured and was willing to pay a very large amount of money to do so? Because _20,000_ gold coins is a lot of money. More than he, and all of Ealdor _combined_ , would probably earn in a decade.

Once the silence had stretched past a minute, Leon asked a question he'd been wondering about. "Where are we?"

Iseldir answered from behind them. "In the caves of one of the largest Druid settlements." They all jumped, except Merlin, who knew he was there. "The trees act as a barrier, blocking anyone with bad intentions form passing. That's why one of you tried and could not enter, and why you could. Come, the council awaits"

Leon leaned close and whispered to Arthur. "Is he always like this?"

Arthur shrugged. "As far as I know, yes."

Merlin and Iseldir were engaging in another mental conversation.

" _Who is he, Emrys?"_ Iseldir asked, referring to Leon.

" _Sir Leon. Don't worry, he can be trusted."_ Merlin assures him.

" _I'm not worried about that. I helped heal him with the Cup of Life, remember. I was merely curious as to his name."_ Iseldir replies.

" _What is the council meeting about?"_ Merlin subtly let Arthur into the conversation at this point, but quickly warned him not to say anything, just to listen.

" _We are discussing what to do with the Knight."_ Arthur looked at Merlin questionably, and Merlin mouthed 'council meeting' at him. Arthur nodded his understanding.

" _What do you mean by that?"_ Merlin asked.

" _Is he to stay or go back to Camelot. We also need to discuss what to do with his three companions."_

" _Companions?"_ Merlin was confused

" _The three knights he came here with. They saw him go through and tried to go after him. They have been stunned and are unconscious. They will need to be dealt with."_

Merlin didn't like the sound of that last sentence. Arthur felt the same, but a flash of Merlin's eyes and he couldn't speak. He looked at Merlin in indignation, but Merlin just projected. _"Don't look at me like that, you were going to say something. Iseldir doesn't know that you have magic and hearing what we've been saying would be a clear indicator of magicalness. Plus, Leon doesn't know either. You heard him, he thinks you've been framed. You'll need to tell him sooner or later. For now, just leave it to me."_ He broke the connection and turned back to make a comment to Iseldir, but they had reached the council area.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Once again, sorry this took forever. Updates will be once a week (hopefully) and probably on Sundays. Thanks to Lya200, morningstar115, fastreader12, Juliana Brandagamba, NC, fallenangelsofolympus for answering the Question of the Chapter. I like Kilgharrah because he had great character development, though Aithusa was so cute! But *SPOILERS! SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH FOR NO SPOILERS FOR SERIES FIVE* then he (she?) got older and worked for Morgana and burnished the sword that killed Arthur (one of my favourite characters) so...yeah, cuteness only gets you so far.**

 **Question of the Chapter: What's your favourite Merlin Fanfic on this site (preferably finished), that's not this one? I'm running out of good ones and would love to hear your suggestions.**  
 **See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid**


	13. Druid Council

**So um...hi. I'm back. You know how I said that a month was the longest you'd have to wait ever again? That kinda failed, obviously. I was using Safari to upload chapters, but I should have been using Chrome, because it actually works on Chrome. So, yeah, I am sorry about the wait, and you'll probably have to wait agin as I haven't started the next chapter yet, and I have Mid-year exams next Friday, but I'll try and have it out within two months at the latest _hopefully_. I make no promises. Thanks to Lya200, SwordMasterZ, Ladyliz2, YogurtBear, fastreader12, MythologyStar, KingdomCome67, Mere888, morningstar115, madnessdownunder2, koala789 and OldRose for reviewing.**

* * *

 _He broke the connection and turned to make a comment to Iseldir, but they had reached the council area_

The eldest Druid elder, named Delia calls for quiet and starts the meeting by questioning Leon.

"What is your name?" She asks

"Sir Leon, Knight of Camelot." Leon answers.

"I only asked of your name. We have no use for titles when we are all equal" Delia states.

Leon's unsure what to say, but settled for. "…My apologies, I was unaware of that."

She waves him off. "It is of no consequence. We have spells around this area, so we know when you are telling a lie. Now to start the proper questioning. Why are you here?"

"I came as part of a patrol. We were sent to deliver the message of the reward for the 'fugitives' capture and to find any Druids, as it is believed that the six would go to them. We found tracks that lead to this spot. Sir Aaron tried to get through, but he couldn't. The trees blocked him. I was able to get through because I came to seek my friends to help, not harm them. I also have nothing against the Druids, who I know are a peaceful people and do not wish harm to befall you."

Delia noted that none of what he said was a lie. She nodded her acceptance of his statements. "You said 'fugitives' as if the word were poison. Why?"

"I do not believe they are fugitives, merely escaping certain death at the hands of an unfair law. Others do not think this way."

Delia nodded as she continued. "Who are the Knights that came here with you?"

"Sir Aaron, Sir Jerald and Sir Gregory. We were the only Knights in the citadel that weren't on patrol or guard duty, so we were sent out."

"Where do your loyalties lie?" Was the next question.

"With Arthur"

"Would you tell people where we are if we let you return to Camelot?" The Druids leaned forward at this.

"No"

Delia blinked, not expecting this answer "Why?"

"Two reasons. One, it would result in my friends' capture and two, I don't believe in the unnecessary killing of innocents." Leon answered.

"So you believe the Druid's to be innocent?"

"Unless there is undeniable proof, I won't condemn people to death." Leon replied, vaguely.

"But that is not what I asked." Delia noted

Leon sighed. "I don't believe the Druids would harm anyone they don't have to. They even saved me from death once. I don't believe them inherently evil. However, others believe differently"

She nodded. "That concludes the questioning." Delia looked at him once again, and smiled. "One Knight of the Round Table was always prophesised to be the defect and search out his brothers. It appears we have found him." Applause broke out at this and Leon, one of the oldest and battle-hardened knights of Camelot, who had looked death (also known as a dragon) in the eye and said, 'take your best shot!', was blushing. Full on, red in the face, _blushing_ at the applause from the Druids.

Gwaine noticed this and called out. "Look! You made the man blush!" This started the same laughter Arthur received for his 'Emmie' comment several nights ago. Once the laughter had died down, Iseldir said. "There is more to be discussed. About the three Knights that came with Leon, what are we to do with them?" At this point, Merlin cancelled his silencing spell on Arthur, who then proceeded to tell Leon what had happened to them in the four days they'd been away, but leaving out his magic. He wanted to tell Leon later in a more private place.

A man in the back said. "Killing them is undoubtedly…" here he paused "… _not_ an option" Leon let out an involuntary sigh of relief and then smiled at the fact that the man was only joking. Many Druid's just rolled their eyes, the Knights and both sides of the coin included, having grown used to Haemus' bad dad jokes.

Iseldir ignored the Knights and instead said. "Quite right Haemus. We cannot kill them, nor can we let them go. What can we do?"

Lancelot asked. "What's so wrong with them? Why must they be killed? What have they done?"

"All good questions, Lancelot, that show your honour and nobility." Complimented Iseldir. Lancelot smiled and nearly, _nearly_ blushed at the praise, but luckily him, as Gwaine would have teased him as relentlessly as he did Leon, he just didn't. "The simple answer is that they know where our hiding place is, but the don't know where our _hiding place_ is." Noting their confused looks, he simplified it. "What they do know, is that this is a place where there are three magical trees, protecting a cave that is probably also magical. The fact that they know such a place exists, even if they don't know what's _in_ the cave is the issue. They know of the _existence_ of the place we are hiding, but not the fact that this _is_ the place we're hiding in. Does that make sense?"

The Knights nodded. Merlin had been thinking and said. "The issue is that they know the place we are hiding, right?" At their nods, he continued. "So if they didn't know that, we could let them go?" More nods. "So if we could make them forget this whole encounter-" He was interrupted by an excited Elali. "Then tomorrow we could send them on their way and they'd never know any of this happened!" Merlin nodded.

Percival shook his head in disbelief. "Merlin, you're a genius!"

"But how?" Arthur asked. "How do we make someone forget something?"

"Strong blow to the head" said Gwaine, "that'd do it easy." At the strange looks form his friends, he defended himself. "Oh, c'mon mates, you can understand why I'd have to use it at a few taverns throughout the years."

"A few?" Elyan scoffed.

"More like all of them." Percival quipped.

Merlin was the Physician's Assistant and he knew more about head injuries than _Gwaine_. So he set the lot of them straight. "You do realise that there's a high probability of killing them if you do that. Head injuries are not to be messed with... Knights"* Merlin added under his breath. Arthur rolled his eyes at his brother's impertinence, having heard what he said."Well then, what do you propose _Mer_ lin?"

After thinking for a moment, Merlin replied. "Have one of the Druid cast a memory spell on them. That'll erase their memories, them the Druids can knock them out, maybe even add an illusion onto their head to make it _look_ like they were knocked out. Much higher survival rates." Merlin added with a grin.

"Can I do it?" Elali asked from the back.

"Are you sure you can Elali? You only seen the spell once." Iseldir said

"I know I can do it." Elali rebutted.

"Let him try." All eyes turned to Arthur, who nearly faltered with the gaze of the Druids upon him, but fell back on his training as a Prince. "If he believes he can, them let him. There's no harm done if he can't do it and if he does, then he's proven himself."

The Druid's were silent for a few seconds, contemplating Arthur's words, before Iseldir agreed. "Go ahead Elali."

Elali stepped up, took a deep breath and recited the spell. _"Adilgian se gemynd. Macian wer forgietan**"_

"Done" said Elali as he stepped aside to allow some Druids to inspect the Knights. "Perfect Elali," One of them said, making him practically burst with pride. They then took the three knights away somewhere before tomorrow.

"I have to go back, don't I?" Leon wasn't surprised, he knew he had to, but that didn't mean he wanted to.

"Leon, I'm sorry, but you have to. We need someone on the inside and someone to keep them away from the Druid's" Merlin reassured. " _And to protect other sorcerers_ ," his mind added. However, he must have projected that thought to Arthur because he soon heard a reply _"Yeah, but he doesn't know about our magic, and only accepts the Druids because they saved his life, so we can't tell him that yet."_

Merlin was surprised _"Arthur?"_

 _"Who else, idiot?"_ Merlin nearly snorted at the sarcastic come-back. Fortunately, he didn't because it would have been awkward to explain.

 _"Hey Arthur?"_

 _"What?"_ Exclaimed Arthur, irritated because Merlin was distracting him from the conversation.

 _"Why haven't you told Leon yet?"_ Merlin asked.

 _"…"_ Arthur was silent, hoping that Merlin would drop it.

 _"C'mon Arthur, you told him everything earlier but left out our magic."_

 _"Just drop it Merlin."_ Unfortunately for Arthur, Merlin never did as he was told.

 _"There has to be a reason. Are you scared?"_ Merlin knew he was risking a very pissed-off Arthur by questioning his courage, but Arthur needed to tell Leon.

" _I am_ not _a coward,_ Me _rlin!"_ Arthur shouted into Merlin's mind. _"Leon is going behind enemy lines and the less he knows, the less he can accidently give away!"_

 _"But Arthur, Leon_ deserves _to be told, especially since everyone else knows. And do you really expect Leon to give away the fact we have magic? Even unintentionally, Leon is smart and he can certainly keep a secret."_

 _"Merlin."_

 _"How do you think he'll feel when he does find out about your magic? What about when he finds out you've been keeping it from him when today alone he's shown you several acts of loyalty and proof that he's able to change his views on magic."_

 _"Merlin"_ Arthur again tried to interrupt to explain his motivations, but Merlin was in full-on-rant mode and on a roll.

 _"The fact he was even allowed past those trees must tell you something! I thought you were meant to trust your knights! Isn't it part of the Knights Code to trust your brother's in arms or some-"_

 _"MERLIN!"_ Merlin cut himself off so fast he nearly chocked aloud, which would also had been difficult to explain. _"I'll tell him, ok. I'm planning on telling him. Just please stop talking, you're giving me a headache"_ Said Arthur quickly, having finally gotten a word in and wanted Merlin to hear what he was saying.

There was a short pause and then. _"Alright,"_ Merlin conceded. _"But when?"_

 _"As soon as I can get him in his own. I think you should be there too. It's not very fair if I tell Leon both our secret's without you being there."_ And here was Arthur once again showing just how noble he really was. He'll make a great King one day, if they ever got out of this mess, that is.

* * *

*Thanks to Ladyliz2 for telling me about the consequences of knocking people out to induce amnesia the non-magical way. It's bad, don't do it. So thanks for that, I hope you don't mind the slight change, but I think it works.

* * *

*Erase the memories. Make him forget.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry about the wait for this chapter and the upcoming one for the next. As far as I've planned there's only one more chapter and the Epilogue and then this is finished. I might go through and edit the earlier chapters after that to incorporate all the feedback I've been getting (the Albion comment from chapter five immediately jumps to mind).**  
 **Thanks to Lya200, Ladyliz2, YogurtBear, fastreader12, MythologyStar, KingdomCome67, morningstar115 and madnessdownunder2 for answering the Question of the Chapter. One of my favourite Merlin fanfics (that I constantly go back and re-read) is Admittance by FlyingMachine1. Another is Kin of Pendragon by QueenYoda. Both definitely worth checking out.  
Question of the Chapter: If you were friends with one of the writers, and they had you look over the script for the last episode of season five, what is the one thing you would change, or would you not change anything at all. (Yeah, I know. Stupid question, obvious answer, but I'm scraping the bottom of the bucket. Can anyone think of a few more?)**  
 **See you in another life, ScruffydaDruid**


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